Every Experience Imaginable

On my first day in Guatemala, I was surprised and somewhat embarrassed by my utter fascination with the indigenous Mayan population in the country. I was constantly (and ignorantly) eavesdropping on conversations in the local languages. Attempting to avoid tourist clichés, I began to avert my eyes once I realized that I was gawking at the stunning fabrics weaved and worn by the women. I desperately tried to appear as a veteran traveller who could appreciate culture without seeming what I deemed to be ‘offensively curious’.

One week later, I was robbed near the town of Santiago on the stunning Lago de Atitlan. My pack, passport, and bank cards were gone. Suddenly, I was terrified alone and definitely not appearing as a cool vet traveller. I was over halfway through a solo, backpacking trip in Central America. I had town-hopped and rushed through other countries in the region, but my new situation forced me to pause on the lake while I sorted out my passport crisis, waited for a new bank card and (barely) kept my sanity.

Days before the robbery, when I approached Lake Atitlan from above (it is bordered by 3 volcanoes and other other mountainous terrain), I had been completely enamoured. The Lake, boasting rich turquoise water, merges its dramatic scenery of a ‘dream vacation’ destination with unique culture and an unmarred local feel. It certainly wasn’t the worst place to pause in my travels.

I had to drop my initial shyness and begin engaging with the local people. My fascination with culture and language gave way to daily needs and a desire to get myself out of the country. I dove into Spanish conversations with new contexts (police reports, collect calls on pay-phones etc) and also learned greetings in one of the common indigenous languages spoken on the Lake. By watching other women, I learned that the woven scarf I had bought from a vendor was useful in shielding my face from the dust when riding in the back of pick up trucks on dirt roads (the least comfortable but cheapest form of transportation around the Lake). I made friends with boat captains who began charging me local rates. Shopkeepers and taxi drivers eventually stopped hounding me for business and conversed with me about their lives as Guatemalans. All of a sudden, I was comfortable asking questions and making my way in a local community. By networking and engaging, I no longer felt like an annoying tourist or even ‘offensively curious’ and I gained what I believe to be true experience.