Things you probably didn’t know about life in Guatemala:

My mom cooks over an open fire at least twice a day: twice to make tortillas and once to roast/grill meat or cook tomatoes to make salsa.
I heat the water for my bucket bath over a fire (which, for some reason I cannot start. I swear I set it up just like they do, but no never works : (

Noise Levels
A man’s house is his castle and everyone takes that opportunity to play music as LOUD as their speakers will allow. When walking to class or home for lunch one can hear anything from salsa to reggatone to a wide variety of American music such as Beyonce, Michael Jackson or Black-Eyed Peas or old rock songs that most black people probably don’t know and would never listen to (or I would name them).
It’s also very interesting that Guatemalan’s love to talk (I mean give a Guatemalan a mic or ask them to say a few words and you’ll be there another half hour, minimum) but, on the bus, no one speaks to each other. Maybe since families see so much of one another all day, they get tired of talking but it’s very interesting to stop and look around when there are lots of American’s and Guatemalan’s on a bus: the Americans are talking and shouting from seat to seat and laughing loudly but I’ve never seen Guatemalan’s do anything like that even within one row…not even the teenagers!

Tremors
We’ve felt four tremors since we’ve been here, which is usually how many there are per year. This makes me a little nervous because every thirty or so years there seems to be a big earthquake and Guatemala is well past that thirty year mark. But let’s not dwell on that….I don’t know if anyone’s ever felt a tremor, the after-affect of an earthquake, but it’s actually kind of exciting. It feels like you’re in a dollhouse and someone is gently rocking it back and forth. During the first and strongest tremor, we were in a school and the chairs started rumbling and the floor shook and when I’m at home the roof rattles! Exciting no?
Let’s Go Shopping
So in small towns there are no commercialized stores or little shops. Any place that you buy meat, tortillas, fruit or one of the many snack foods offered here are sold from storefronts attached to houses. (actually there’s one free standing tienda/store in the plaza.) Going to the store really reveals a fundamental cultural difference: if you enter a store in the US or go to someone’s house to pick something up, the employee/person rushes to greet you and get what you need. Here, you ring the bell or shout “good afternoon!” and 1) hope the person hears and 2) hope that they are feeling generous that day and don’t meander to the door after they finish ironing that piece of clothing they were working on. It’s a very distinct difference in not only how people treat business but in how people live daily life. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen anyone in my town walk above a slow amble, even the kids. Since I’m always 2 minutes late to class, I’m sure it’s quite a spectacle to see the giant black girl man-striding through town shouting “buenos dias” at everyone.

“Good morning….good morning……good morning……….good morning….good morning.”
About that….so in the US (unless you’re in the South) people don’t really greet people they don’t know unless they’re in a particularly friendly mood, in my experience. Well, here in Guatemala, it is maximally important, especially in small towns, that one greet everyone on the street with a “Buenos dias, buenas tardes or buenas noches—good morning, good afternoon, good evening”. If you don’t, people will call you “enojada” or the “that angry girl”. I kid you not depending on how many people are on the street you might say “good morning” 20 times on the way to your destination. I love/hate it—it makes you look at people in the face and you start to recognize them and you aren’t always caught up in your little world. Also, Guatemalan culture dictates that one greet everyone in the room regardless of circumstances. So I visited my Grandparent’s house and a cousin was talking and crying with Grandma and I had to interrupt and say “good morning” and they had to greet me back before they could continue. Or, if you’re late to a meeting, don’t even think about slinking to the back unnoticed, if you fail to greet everyone properly, people might ask if you are upset with them and think you are extremely rude. So next time you’re late to the office or for class, barge into that room with a strong “good morning everyone!” and be sure to shake the boss’s/teacher’s hand on your way to your seat!

Questions
Other interesting cultural difference: In the states, it’s uncommon and uncomfortable to ask someone else how much they make or how much they paid for something like a camera or car. Here, people will ask you about everything from how much do your parents make to how much your camera or nail polish or a flight to Colorado costs. Also, Americans are consumed with what someone does—their job or contribution to society. Here, people are much more concerned with who your family is: what’s your family name, how many siblings do you have, how old are you parents and MOST importantly, are you married or do you have a boy/girlfriend? Sometimes people jump right in with, how many children do you have? Was it hard to leave your spouse in the States? I’m pretty sure I’m just gonna print off a picture of some Indian hottie and put it in my pocket so I can show off my fiancé next time someone asks : )

Family Life
You know how in the states if you’re past college age and living at home your parents might want you out and you probably feel like you should have moved out years ago (just based on societal standards and pressures)? Well in Guatemala, outside of the capital where it’s more westernized, if one isn’t married, they continue to live with their family. So there are people in their 30s living at home with their 4 brothers and sisters and mom and dad. I think it makes sense, but in the states it’s common to be out by 20. Guatemalan’s think it’s strange that parents would kick their child out of the family at such as young age and that children would want to leave to live alone. (People in Guatemala are almost never alone whether walking, shopping or doing housework.) Perhaps this is also because a Guatemalan’s social life is his family. I mean the families are much bigger and most family members live somewhere in the town (I have like 30 first cousins and tons of aunts and uncles in my town that my family visits or that come over to eat or work or chat). In any case, an interesting cultural difference.