Guatemala in 2 words

Guatemala for me is 2 words – Noise and Time.

Noise… where to start, from the buzz of tuk tuk ‘s, the roar of diesel powered chicken buses ascending mountain passes, the incessant hooting of horns to un comprehensibly loud music blaring from any device unfortunate enough to plug into a sound system, the noise doesn’t stop, EVER.

Having the pleasure of living with a local family, I also have the joy of waking up to a variety of charming alarms. Roosters cackling at insane times, the chorus of dogs singing to each other all night, radio wars of music at all hours of the day and my personal favorite – fire crackers – any time, any place, there is always fire crackers….and this is all before the alarm goes off to get me up and ready for my Spanish classes.

Far from complaining, for every experience is just that, an experience, I just cannot get in my head the complexity, variety and diversity of all the sounds that bless my sensory system daily.

Time - a simple word, so eloquently used to convey a sense of need, urgency and significance to all of life’s details, small and large. What time is lunch, what time is it, what time do you finish. No one can argue the importance of time in their daily lives.
Time is, well, just not important here. Ever. It’s crazy really, the lack of time being a bounding constraint on social and business matters. If people are late, they are late. If the bus doesn’t run on time, it doesn’t run on time. No problem, no concern. The striking variance between how Western cultures value time and how it is of such insignificance here borders on comical. But guess what – everything still works – late, but it works. There is no rush, no hustle and bustle, no urgent running for this and that and shockingly, everyone still smiles. Who would have guessed that…?
Through this one thing is for sure, people are close here, they live close together, work close together and play close together. They walk through each other’s homes, pack 15 deep into pickup trucks and 3 wide on bus seats without the flutter of an eyelid. And they chat, laugh and smile as they do it. Maybe this closeness brings an acceptance of the noise and tolerance of the concept of time, creating a more laid back culture. Or maybe everyone resents it all, wishes for a “better” life, brooding with rage underneath their smiling faces. Somehow I think it’s the former.

Sure, I might be kept awake here, or be running late, but after all aren’t I travelling? What’s the hurry? Isn’t that why we all roam this Earth, to see, feel and experience the way things are done in other parts of the world? To truly say, “yep, I have lived there, not merely visited….”

Now excuse me while I reach for my earplugs and set the alarm for – oh, let’s see – the morning sometime….