Guatemala from the perspective of a US citizen
Guatemala. Located in Central America, is a smaller country 1/4 the size of the state of California. It is an area of land rich with history spanning back into the BC era. It is a region of the world where the climate, soils and air are perfect for growing some of the worlds most beloved crops such as coffee and chocolate(cacao). The people living there have suffered from conquests, civil wars and political discourse and corruption but standing and talking to the people I had met you would never know that.
As a US Citizen I do not like our culture or state of affairs. Sure, we may have luxuries that many people on the planet would love to have yet I feel like our mindset is missing the markers on what life can be. To me, we lack soul, depth and individualization. I think so many of us struggle to find more or be more so that we can experience more. In the USA, capitalism is a religion and consumerism is a frequent prayer to corporate products. Stanley cups being the latest obsession of excess.
In Guatemala, from my anecdotal experience, is a mindset of doing more with less, practicing gratitude, civility, reusing and making things work. Motorbikes had frequent repair marks; Gas tanks bondo’d, zip ties, tires getting the last possible miles. Plastic bags are used until they can’t hold anything anymore. Obviously, whether through affordability or not, things don’t have to be shiny or new to be appreciated or are a detriment to your status symbol.
My wife and I spent three weeks here with the primary focus of attending Spanish school. We work in healthcare and work regularly with Spanish only speaking patients. Not to mention that learning Spanish can unlock a large part of the world for you to explore. Every person I met was kind, respectful and were patient. People couldn’t always speak English, so learning Spanish was important as a lot of times if someone had the time they wanted to know about you and why you chose Guatemala to visit. The food was amazing, the culture was deep and the atmosphere was oriented to having close ties with one another. Neighbors seemed to be neighbors and especially in the smaller community we stayed in everyone seemed to look out for each other.
The land of Guatemala is also beautiful. It has been shaped by aeons of lava. There are 37 volcanoes, each with their own unique story. We hiked two of them, that being Volcan Pecaya y Volcan Acatenango to view Volcan del Fuego erupt. One of the coolest moments of my life was to see a volcano erupt in the middle of the night, seeing chunks of lava fall from the sky. I never knew I needed to see that.
Another thing missing from the equation was huge corporate stores. Due to the absence of car-centric land developments small businesses were much more frequent as many people walk or take a scooter to get around. Therefore there are no huge shopping malls with vast parking spots to take up a space. Instead you only need to walk a block in most places to buy something from a little tienda store.
I thoroughly enjoyed the people and time here. Guatemala is definitely a place to visit more than once. It will help you center yourself and realize what living different can mean for you.
