When You Can’t Flush Your Toilet Paper

In my time here, I’ve had to adjust to some pretty wild things. There are so many cultural differences between life here and in the States. That being said, I wanted to create a fun and interactive blog that highlighted some of the main ones that have stuck out to me. If nothing else, this heads up will hopefully prepare you a bit better if you ever find yourself in Guatemala.

Common dishes here consist mainly of a rotation between chicken, beans, eggs and tortillas. There are also some really tasty street food options such as tostadas, pache and chuchitos. However, make sure your stomach comes prepared because there are definitely some parasites that get thrown into the mix as my teammates can attest. They also have pizza, which is random, but apparently the world food staple so if nothing else you have that.

Second thing to note are the Pelas.

The pela is a universal baptismal-like tank that Guatemalans (and now me) use to wash dishes, brush our teeth, clean our clothes and for various other hygiene needs. It is usually constructed with a faucet that is attached to a main pool area. Then there are at least a couple concrete holding areas built around the side where all the cleaning takes place. Typically every home will have one, but it is also common to see massive public pelas for anyone to use. 

Second is the obscure amount of chuchos (or street dogs) roaming around. Now these are not your typical adorable house pet. About 95% of these animals are extremely mangy, usually flea-ridden and skin and bones. I will admit the first time I saw one it made me tear up because it is a sad sight, but that is just the reality for most animals here. The funny thing is that everywhere you go there is usually a designated chucho corner that has multiple of these street dogs all together. Some people do take them in as pets for protection, in which case they are usually always on the roof and are then called “techo perros” or roof dogs. I will say it is odd getting barked at from above while walking down the street ??.

Sometimes they are really friendly and to my weakness for furry things, I definitely befriended one near our house much to the disgust of my fellow teammates. Her name is Churra and yes she is nasty but I have to say that having the responsibility is emotionally comforting.

In addition, toilets here do not consume toilet paper. Never. No matter where you are, the septic in Guatemala can handle your bodily logs, but apparently not toilet paper. I’m not going to include a picture because that would be weird so moving on. 

Next up is the open markets. I must say they are quite the experience. Everything is negotiable; which can also make it really difficult when you don’t speak the language. They also usually carry a variety of smells anywhere from fresh anchovies to yummy churros so be prepared to continuously loose and regain your appetite.

Noise here is 24/7. They Love their fireworks. All day, everyday is a firework day. Also roosters here crow in all hours of the night. Apparently no one gave them a job description.  

In addition, the traffic laws are pretty much non-existent here and so is the concept of a “safe distance”. Guatemala has these large public transportation vehicles that we call “chicken buses”. They are usually decked out in lights and horns, which, thank God you can hear em’ coming because they do not stop for railroad crossings nor pedestrians.

When you are trying to catch one, you have about 20 sec to jump on or else they will just start moving even if you only have one foot on. Also the motorcycles here have a designated lane called the median, or that dotted white line that divides lanes. If you are trying to change lanes, you have about a 77% chance probability of hitting a motorcycle here.??

The next thing that is drastically different is that strangers here greet each other constantly and want to have full blown conversations. If nothing else, the three Spanish phrases I have learned are buenos días (good morning), buenas tardes (good afternoon) and buenas noches (good night). It is so beautiful to step outside first thing and see that everyone has woken up on the right side of the bed with a smile on their face. ??

Lastly I wanted to touch on the Sumpango kite festival which me and my team got to experience on November 1st. Once a year, people come from all over to see these massive paper kites that range anywhere from 2 to over 20 meters in diameter. Local communities work on these kites months prior to the event and deck them out in festive colors and cultural images that represent Guatemalan pride. All of the kites are built for flight with a hollow bamboo bone structure and light tissue paper surface. The larger ones can take up to 40 people to get them off the ground! I would be curious to know what the death rate looks like in this festival’s past because when those kites come down you better watch out if you don’t want to get crushed by these flying masterpieces. This holiday originated as a day to celebrate and reconnect with the dead; that is why the locals will often illustrate the faces of deceased family members on the kites. They believe that the flying kites act as a communication beacon between them and their loved ones in Heaven. The whole experience was amazing and I would definitely recommend it for anyone.

Hope this blog gave you a little taste of the Guatemalan culture that I have learned to love so much. This place is so dear to my heart and I hope that everyone has the chance to come and experience it for themselves at some point!

Much Love- Tris