Today was the day that I left the United States to embark on my journey to Guatemala. I was more than excited about the things to come, as I had not been out of the country in five or so years.
I made sure that my bags were packed and that I still had enough room left in them to put the things that I intended to buy. As I am a female, I do not fully know the meaning of the expression, “Pack lightly.” Though my suitcase was overflowing with things that I both needed and things that I did not, I contemplated what my next move should have been. Peering on the floor, I noticed that I had four bags of medical supplies to take with me. In a small amount of distress, I bargained with my peers for space in their suitcases. Believe you me, had someone told me that I could have brought an extra suitcase with me on this trip, I would have done so!
After a hug and a kiss, Joseph, mi novio gave me a hug and a kiss as he escorted me to the security check point. After all, he was illegally parked, and was on the verge of having his car towed.
As I walked up to the security check point, I noticed that everyone was instructed to strip down to their shirts and pants while all jewelry and other metal items were removed. Once I looked on the floor, I noticed that everyone was taking off their shoes. I thought it was some sort of bad joke being played on me! I was confused as to why I had to take off my shoes. In an attempt to bargain with the security guard, he quickly alerted me that if I did not, that I would have to leave their air port and not fly to Guatemala. Needless to say, I had to “suck it up” and place my bare feet on the floor. Did this security guard not know that there are germs on the bottoms of people’s shoes? I am assuming that he was also unaware that many people do not keep their feet clean, and I would have to walk on the floor after them. I was disgusted, none the less, but ran through the check point and cleansed my feet before putting my shoes on. The worst was over, or so I had thought.
I walked over to the one of the restaurants and was at the counter purchasing food when I heard my name being called on the loudspeaker with a request to answer the airport’s courtesy phone. After answering, I realized that I had Joseph’s phone in my pocket, and he had no other way to retrieve it from me other than for me to go outside the airport and hand it to him. Being the fantastic person that I am, I agreed to walk outside an give him his phone. After doing so and turning around, I realized that I would have to go back through the security check point and take off my shoes again. All I could think was “Why me?”
To make a long story short, I had to go through the entire process again and the security people laughed because apparently there was a look of discomfort all over my face. Needless to say, I was NOT happy! My microbiology courses had scarred me. I knew the sorts of things that we on the underside of shoes.
By this time, I only had a few minutes to catch my flight, so I had to settle for 2 ounces of crackers and a bottle of water to satisfy my hunger. I was starving!
The plane ride to Atlanta was short. The plane ride to Guatemala City, however, was not! It was three and a half long hours, most of which I slept through. Sleep felt awesome because I had only had 1 hour of sleep within the days prior to this one. I will admit this: I was surprised at how many Latinos were on the plane. Then again, I had to consider exactly where I was going…
Our arrival in Guatemala was peaceful. The immigration office stamped my passport and I was on my way to retrieve my bags. All of the signs were in Spanish which was fantastic for me. However, not so much for my peers, as most of them did not speak any Spanish at all. A few students asked me to translate things, which I was more than happy to do. I’m pretty sure that they were 90% correct.
As we walked outside, we met our host organization for our stay in Guatemala. The staff was incredibly welcoming and made us feel right at home. It was an hour drive from Guatemala City to where we were going, so we conversed with the staff and they helped everyone with their Spanish, or lack of it, on the ride over. On a side note, I was excited to see that there was a Wal-Mart in Guatemala City. From that point on, I knew I would like it here! I also saw an abundance of McDonald’s restaurants and Domino’s Pizza restaurants. These were good signs. If all else fails and I can’t find a job in the United States after graduation, I do have experience as a delivery driver for Domino’s, and would be more than happy to transfer my skills here!
After an hour of transit, we arrived at our destination. What a beautiful city it was! There was so much history and rich culture. It was evident that there was a lot to learn here. We went on a walking tour of the city and marveled at it’s beauty. Everything was amazing, that is, until I LOST MY CAMERA!!! In a panicked frenzy, I frantically searched everywhere. Distressed at how careless I had been, I was more than happy once a friend found it on the bus. I would have given her a hug, but the bus was crammed and I am sure she did not want one. It was hotter outside than you could imagine.
The tour of the city ended, and it was time to meet our familias de acogida (host families). As we approached the door to the house, I did not know what to expect. From the outside, the house was gorgeous, but I was not sure who was going to answer the door. When it opened, a small lady with brown eyes peered out at me and was very warm and welcoming. She escorted us around her two-story, six bedroom house. It was better than something you would see on MTV’s Cribs. This was an actual home that people lived in versus one that people filled with rented things to be ostentatious.
She summoned us for dinner after we became settled in. My roommates and I all had our dictionaries in hand at the dinner table as we were at a loss for words. Our host mother laughed because she had never seen such a thing before. Now that I come to think about it, my family was a host family for exchange students, but our exchange students never carried a dictionary to the dinner table.
The conversation went well and I am proud to report that our host mother can actually understand my Spanish. She also said that she found it amusing that I would rather write her a note than actually let her suffer through my mispronunciations. Her husband also thought it was funny. They encouraged me to talk. They told me that I speak very well, but they would like for me to talk more. On another side not: in primary school, my teachers always told me parents that I talked to much. My parents agreed. Now in Guatemala, my host family thinks that I don’t eat or talk enough. (I find this hilarious because I talk and eat all the time when I am at home).
Exhausted and excited for the things to come, my roommates and I called it a night. We ended up going to bed about 8:30 pm and were satisfied with the events of the day!
– Sneaka
Sneak Peeks & Seeks... 