Now I have heard of some strange things in my life, but tonight when my host mom told me we were going to eat breakfast with “the difuntos” in the morning and I googled “difuntos”[…]
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Category: Cultural Difference
Canche | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
Canche means “blonde” but it has expanded its scope to simply mean “white folk.” And don’t confuse canche with cancha, because cancha is “soccer field.” Even though I’m not blonde, I’m a lot closer to a canche[…]
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Machista | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
La cultura machista has come up several times, with my host mom and my first Profe Eduardo. Our Training Director doesn’t ever use that term, she only says that there are defined gender roles and[…]
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Dar a Luz | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
One day I asked my host family over lunch what the phrase is for “Give birth.” My mom responded with: “Dar la luz.” I almost lost my mind. “Dar la luz?” Well first of all,[…]
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¡Ánimo! | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
Amanda and I went running for the first time together on my second week here. It was like two gringas were released from captivity and everyone was watching us run to freedom. I felt like[…]
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HOW I FEEL (in Guatemala) | Tragedy in Threes & Ceremonies in Three Hours
One time, not too long ago and not long enough, I came home from work and a realization unhatched with great gusto: Carlton, my cat, had fleas. I’d been noticing him itch more than usual but it[…]
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La Pila | Guatemala at Home
La Pila is a concrete institution of every casa Guatemalteca. It’s a sink with three sections: a side designated for washing laundry and another side designated for dishes/los trastos. The usable water sits in the[…]
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Paciencia | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
Paciencia. I need paciencia with the pace of culture, paciencia with learning Spanish, paciencia with my life direction, with jogging slowly instead of sprinting. So much patience required here. The pace here is hardly comparable[…]
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Novia | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
My host mom and I stood at the entrance to her house, waiting. She had a beautifully wrapped present in hand. I had enough Spanish to get me through the drive thru at Taco Bell.[…]
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Bienvenida | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
September 28, 2016: All 28 of us hazily departed the plane. We eventually approached volunteers with a sign: Bienvenidos a Guatemala. In my bedroom, Bienvenida hangs above my mosquitero. For a quick language lesson: because[…]
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