Guatemala: Day 30

June 20, 2018

Guatemala: Day 30

I have been in Guatemala for exactly one month! To be honest it feels like I haven't had a chance to do much yet but I am working on more upcoming adventures.

Best news first! My mom is coming on July 17th! I cannot describe to you the happiness of being able to see her for the first time since August and also being able to explore Guatemala together with her. And it gets better. In August my friend Timnit is coming to visit me too! I am so excited to show her around and have a piece of my Toronto family here with me.

But now I have to go back in time a bit because I haven't blogged about what has been going on for a while. Firstly, the biggest event that has happened during my time here was the volcano Fuego eruption on June 3rd. Luckily we only saw ash fall in the capital but were otherwise safe. A lot of other people closer to the volcano were not so lucky. I don't want to simply quote the news and give you the devastating numbers of people who have died, disappeared or have to now live in shelters. What I think about is the difficult circumstances most of the suffering people already lived in and how much worse one natural disaster can make their lives. They have lost absolutely everything and some, everyone. This has definitely shaken the whole country to a core. Being a part of a humanitarian organization, I have luckily been able to witness the efforts that both locals as well as foreigners are leading to support the communities near Fuego.

Exactly a week after the eruption, me and my friend Majo (from Spain) went to a small village not too far from Fuego. We were a part of a larger group of people going there to donate food and water as well as organize a large amount of clothes that were gathered by a community in the capital. This village was not directly affected by the eruption but the fallen ash and small particles had destroyed a lot of their crops and clean water reserves. While the government and a lot of humanitarian organizations are focused on assisting those in shelters, others are trying to help those with less obvious needs in surrounding areas. This to me is so special because I have seen help coming from a lot of locals who might not have a lot to give in the first place. I live in a well off area because the office is located here but to be honest, here I saw only one initiative at a grocery store collecting donations for people affected by the volcano eruption and that lasted a few days. I sincerely hope that these privileged people found other meaningful ways to contribute to the healing of the people near Fuego but I am not convinced. The classist and elitist society here in Guatemala definitely shows a negative side of the country.

I think it was over a week ago when I went to Zone 1, which is considered the centre of Guatemala City. There you can find most of the museums, government buildings and biggest churches. I would have wanted to go there much sooner but I had to time it with some friends because it is not safe to go walking there by yourself. I didn't see anything too strange or suspicious but there are a lot of people on the streets so it is always better to be safe and have some backup (although I'm a badass and can kick anyone's butt). We went to the train museum, where I grew jealous of old time fancy travelling where you would have a whole bed and table on your train journey but then again I'm sure you would have had to be really rich to afford that kind of luxury and an unemployed student like me would have had to sit in the part of train that had wooden benches and no windows. Next we walked to the National Palace (Palacio Nacional), which used to house the Guatemalan president but now is a historical site, where you can attend a guided tour about the country's history and culture. Unfortunately for us, that day the tour was cancelled so I will have to go back another time to get the full experience. The last thing we saw was the Central Market (Mercado Central). When I tell you that place has everything, it has EVERYTHING. From souvenirs to food to party decorations to cleaning supplies to clothes. And it's cheap! Closer to the end of my trip I will definitely go back to buy some stuff.

On Friday evening I went to Antigua, the capital of Guatemala until a huge earthquake in 1773. I absolutely loved it there! I have lived most of my life in a city with a long history and I was missing that a little from Guatemala City but luckily they have Antigua to give you that history fix. There were so many beautiful colourful buildings, ruins of majestic cathedrals and cobblestone streets (felt just like Tallinn when I looked down). I didn't get to spend too much time there but I am planning to go there for a few days really soon!

The rest of the weekend was much less exciting, mostly suffering from a cold and food poisoning in my bed... and bathroom. Shoutout to my boyfriend for listening on the phone while I agonized and complained - I turn into a complete baby when I'm sick. But Sunday I felt my first earthquake! Well the people here are calling it a tremor because it was very minor but I like being slightly more dramatic and calling it an earthquake. Also, for a second I was convinced that there was someone underneath my bed shaking it, which is way more terrifying than a light earthquake. So glad it was the latter!

Spanish lesson of the day: the uber driver taking us to zone 1 told one of us to scream HELP and the other to yell WE ARE BEING ROBBED if it happened. So in Spanish AUXILIO! and NOS ESTÁN ROBANDO!

Food of the day: soy meat. I use fake meat made of soy to make tostadas or tacos and the best part is that here they sell the soy meat already flavoured and ready to be heated. It is so delicious and I feel like I'm eating real meat!