Life in Guatemala - some observations

Guatemalan Life

Well, first to my favourite subject, food! Here are some examples of some typical Guatemalan meals I had often with my host family.

The brown stuff is mushed beans - looks unappetizing but it's okay. Tastes like...mushed beans! Another thing I noticed was they use all of the chicken - it's common to find things like necks and spines floating in your soup.. eek! I gave everything a go though. 

With every meal, there is always tortillas. But they don't taste good at all (to me)! They taste like flour and just urrrrghhh. Is it bad I prefer the packaged tortillas you get in a taco pack in the supermarket? Haha.

Observations about Guatemala

None of this is making fun or looking down at Guatemala. Just some things I found that were different to back home!

- They love fireworks. It's common to hear loud bangs at any time, especially during the night, someone is always celebrating something!

- All the women balance stuff and carry baskets on their head. I'm always so impressed by their balance! As you know, I have no balance at all. 

- If they call you a "Gringa" or "Gringo" (male) that means you are a total noob foreigner.

- I think I've said this before, but you can't flush toilet paper in the toilet - you have to put it in the bin!

- There are hardly any bins and rubbish litters the street. There are quite a few awful smells around the streets too!

- Street animals are everywhere, the amount of skinny dogs you see scrounging for food is depressing.

- There is a big thing about fake money. Every cashier checks the notes to make sure they are real (if you hold it up to the light, a copy of the face on the note will appear).

- Markets are our version of a shopping centre. Instead of shops all in a big centre, there are just rows of stalls, selling everything from toilet paper to shoes.

- Security guards are stationed out the front of many businesses, and they have guns. Shot guns. 

- Everyone rides motorbikes around, but they never wear helmets!

- Police cars are black, four-seater utes.

- Apparently (according to my friend who works in a hospital), the main cause of accidents in Guatemala are from machetes.

- If you walk along the street past dusk, expect to see alot of homeless people sleeping in the islands between the roads.

- The window ledges stick out on the street. My head and I learnt that the hard way.

- If you get a drink from a stall, say orange juice, it will come in a sandwich bag.