it's harder than you think, this blog thing... seriously though, there's this post it note i keep in the back of my brain constantly ready for a good topic to bring up on the blog. but the thing about it is that i'm worried.
this might be the only thing you ever read about Guatemala. that's kind of a lot of pressure, because i've come to love being here and want you to feel the same way even from far away. And because i'm in my 10th month here in Guate, which given my short life, is a long time, it feels so normal being here. Because it's getting harder and harder to think of things that you will find funny or unique, they've become my reality.
so i'm going to start simple. that's right, simple. the things that i should have told you from the getgo but never got around to it.
10 things you should know:
1.) Almolonga and Zunil are the COUNTRY, yeehaw! as in if you don't have a pickup truck you are nothing. the older men wear cowboy hats.
2.) there is nothing that smells as good as a pickup passing by that is full (literally bursting) with onion picked that morning. cilantro is comprable...
3.) most women over the age of 45 are illiterate.
4.) almolonga is pure concrete and fields. they build up to conserve space for growing their veggies. where you don't see block you see green.
5.) they use an ungodly amount of chemical fertilizers on said veggies.
6.) women carry things on their heads. men carry things on their backs.
7.) trash. there is a lot of trash in the streets. but the trash truck comes twice a week and for Q1 will take that nastiness off your hands and burn it for you.
8.) when people ask where you're from, they mean the state. most men have seen more of the us than i have.
9.) hot/cold. people are very concious about temperature when it comes to eating. you never eat avocado at night. it's a cold food. you'll get sick. no joke.
10.) REFA! the best part of the day in my humble opinion, morning snack that applies to everyone... icecream? yup. fruit? yup. candy? yup. whatever, if it's 10 am, you eat!
