Jiaqi

...is that you always fail.

 

Things I brought to Guatemala that I'm never going to need:

- two warm sweaters

- two even warmer sweaters

- a (warm) fleece jacket

- warm pyjamas

 

Things I didn't bring that I already miss:

- my own computer

- my light summer jacket

- thin long sleeved shirts and blouses

- shorts and short skirts

- my epilator (to be able to walk in shorts and short skirts without being stared at more than I already am)

- shawls (to protect my shoulders from the sun or for nights when it's just a tiny bit cold)

 

Thank goodness there are stores in Guatemala. The only thing that worries me is how in the world I'm going to be able to bring everything home? My bags where bursting already when I got here. Maybe I'll get someone to visit me who can also bring a few warm sweaters back to Sweden...? (Do it, come visit! I already have a long list of places in Guatemala that I want to see and experience, with you!)

 

In other news I'm out of the capital (yay!) and spent the entire day the other day out of this town as well, walking the mountains for hours on dirt roads and narrow paths. Photos might appear at some point, but right now I don't have a cable for my camera. What I do have is sore legs and burnt skin, but that's alright.

 

Love

 

~me

Living so close with so many other people is a joy and a challenge. A joy because I never have to be alone if I don't want to, because I never have to cook and eat by myself and because I don't have to trust my own far from remarkable social skills to make new friends. They're already here. A challenge because I'm a person who needs space and solitude to rest and who'd rather hang out in groups of two or three than of 10, at least most of the time.  The roof is my answer to the first challenge, we'll see with the second. 

There are, of course, many other things about Guatemala so far that can be characterized as either joys is challenges. A sample:

Mercado central (central market): definitely joy, with more fresh fruit and vegetables, dried herbs, colorful beans and lentils and any other kind of food that doesn't need a fridge than I've seen in one place in my life.

Pulgas (bed bugs): a challenge, but after spending two days washing bedding and spraying the room with insecticide (I'm sorry, it was an emergency!) their absence have turned into a great joy. 

Nawal, A'peró, Las Melaza, la Garífuna and Señora Pu (restaurants): joys. Nawal is a Palestinian bakery and take away lunch restaurant with Malmö-quality falafel. L'aperó serves the world's best pizza, AND has outdoor seating even at night, which seems to be almost unheard of in this city. Las Melaza is the perfect lunch place with local food, with the perk of great vegetarian alternatives (which I'm pretty sure they make up on the spot when we ask for them). La Garífuna serves huge and delicious plates of Caribbean food and at Señora Pu you sit around the tiny kitchen and watch (and smell!) as your traditional maya dish is being prepared.

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One of the things that affect me most here, and that I'm not at all used to from home, is the security situation in the city. You can't really go walking after dark, and even during the day there are a lot of places that are dangerous to be in on foot, or at all. It changes very suddenly too, so that the block one side of a street or avenue can be fine for walking, while the block on the other side is controlled by gangs and super dangerous. 

Public transportation is also quite scary, someone told me today that a busdriver is killed every day in the city. I don't know if that was an actual fact or just an estimation, but regardless it says something about the security situation in general. Suffice to say I won't be taking the city bus. Taking a cab in the street can appearantly also lead to robbery, sexual assault and other very undesirable experiences. Luckily there are taxis you can call and know that they're safe, so you never need to take that particular risk. 

It's impossible not to reflect on the fact that many people take (or drive) those buses and cabs every day, or live in areas where I don't even dare to enter. One part of that is that the way I look makes me a more likely target for attacks (foreign signals rich equals more likely to be carrying valuables). That in itself tells a lot about the unjust global structures of power and economy. Another part is that not all people have the economic means to choose the safer, but more expensive, alternative. So here I am, already confronted with those constant reminders that follow from being in the global south of my own position as privileged, the doubts about my role in the global economy and the awakening of a consciousness that too often slumbers at home. Who am I to complain about petty things or wish for new things or nicer clothes when my very pattern of comsumtion and way of life, and the unjust global structures that make them possible, contribute to the poverty and insecurity I see around me here? 

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With all the security issues in the city (Guatemala City that is, though here it just goes by "the city", "the capital" or "Guate") it's easy to feel a little claustrophobic. That's only one of the reasons that we are taking advantage of the privilege of having time and money and spending the weekend in Antigua. A lot more touristy, but also very pretty and a lot safer. Yesterday we just hung out, walking around, looking at sights and eating good food, today we're planning a Guatemala must-do: hiking a volcano. I'm excited. 

Keep in touch you peoples!

Love 

~ me 

(The "love ~ me" part is stolen, I hope you don't mind, you from whom I stole it!)