Guatemala

Guatemala has been an experience. Here are some things I have learned:

1) People here are dirt-poor. But happy. The only thing I miss is decent water pressure. I used to miss hot showers, but I don’t even miss that as much anymore.
2) I have seen 2 scenes of shootings. (Drug-cartel people got shot in their taxi). The blood coming from the scene was a little unreal.
3) Kids are not spoiled here. They are quite happy playing with bits of string or rocks or twigs or candy wrappers they find. I don’t know why they don’t go to school right now—no one has been able to explain that to me.
4) My Spanish has improved! (“Ayudar! Estoy Peridido! Donde esta Pollolandia en Flores?”)
5) “Pollolandia” is probably some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had in my life. Not really sure if they have EVER changed out their oil, but I don’t care. The skin isn’t breaded, but more crispy than perfectly cooked bacon. The meat itself is so tender and moist and flavorful that it almost tastes like chicken-flavored butter that just melts in your mouth. Pollolandia is a great reason (alone) to come to Guatemala.
6) Another reason is that you can get any prescription drug here over the counter. You just need to know what to ask for (in espanol). Viagra? Oxytocin? Steroids? All no problem. Benedryl, on the other hand, is harder to find.

Oh! Speaking of my Spanish improving, here’s a great story:
I was sent on a quest for beer and other groceries. Armed with a bike and a bookbag, I set out towards the little shop that I knew of. I get there with my list of groceries (flour, oil, butter, beer.) I got all the stuff but the beer, which they didn’t sell at that location. So I went towards town searching for beer….

Couldn’t find a single bar/beer-looking place that was open. Finally, I saw a woman on “her stoop” (a concrete slab outside her door) making/selling empanadas. (this is common and they are usually amazing. For 12 USD cents you get a meal. (#bargain). So I went over to her. I said “Hola! Yo Quiero Kaveza.”
She looked at me weirdly….
So I did what my dad told me to do: Mimic. So I mimed opening a can, drinking it, then acting drunk. She said “oh! Cerveza! (pronounced Ser-bez-ah).”
“SI SI!”
so she got a beer, gave me some empanadas and told me to sit down. We made very (muy) small talk. I asked her “Yo Quiero mas Cerveza para me casa.” She asked me how many more… I said “doce?” she said “ocho frio.” I said “si.” And took those. 40Q (5$) later, I walked out with 8 cold beers and rode back home.
Hell yes. 😀
(for the record, Bravha beer is better than Natty Boh, but not by much.)

What was your favorite second language experience?