Melissa Does Guatemala

Several weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have the company of my sister for a few days. Since it was like pulling teeth to get my parents to agree to send her over her spring break from the University of North Dakota, I was hell-bent on showing them that not only was it safe and crime free for the savvy, low-budget travelers like myself but that the hospitality of Guatemalans is bountiful, even overwhelming at times. Of course, this is the truth but i was set on driving home my point in the ongoing, uphill battle to reverse the reputation Guatemala's earned up there.



So, in my quest to show my sister a fun yet, safe time, I planned to pick her up from the airport and take her to Antigua, the crown jewel of the tourist industry in Guatemala for a fail-safe first impression. A quick side note though; at the airport meeting point about twenty minutes after i expected her to walk out the customs exit, i could not neglect my need to use the restroom any longer, so i left my boyfriend to watch out for her. I left him with a brief description and rushed off to the bathroom, hoping not to miss her. Due to a long line, and typical airport restroom inefficiency, i was alerted to her arrival while still standing in the restroom, by her loud squeal as she approached me from behind. It turns out she walked out of the customs door, looking confused and fitting the description i left with Gerson, so he appraoched her asking if she was Melissa. She apparently sighed in relief saying only, "Yes that's me! Oh thank god, English!"



Anyway, we left the airport, quickly catching up and making various stops to try local cuisine, ending up in Antigua where we went out for a leisurely dinner and out dancing afterward. The following morning we embarked on the adventure that arriving in my site entails, switching buses three times. The look she gave me as we boarded the first chicken bus was priceless, as if to say, "Ok, good joke. Where's the car we're really taking?" She quickly realized that i was not kidding, and that we were in fact going to ride that bus, not only packed full with women attempting to sit on our laps most of the way, but for three hours of it. I never said i was going to pamper her, and plus, that was authentic.

Once we arrived in sight - much to Melissa's relief - we headed to my house and met up with some friends in town, spending the rest of her time seeing the sights and enjoying the precursor activities to my town's Feria - or town celebration of its Patron Saint. One of these events was the Reina Indigena - or Indigenous Queen competition, where the indigenous young women in town compete to be deemed most worth of representing the town for all the Kaqchikel ethnicity. I would call it a PG pageant that involves more cultural activities and less skin. Melissa quickly took a liking to Arroz con Leche and Chuchitos (two mainstays in my area) thus winning lots of points with the locals and even several invitations to return. Some of my friends actually insisted that she come back, because she had such a short stay.

 

On her last day we made a day trip to Lake Atitlan, doing some light shopping and basically just enjoying the sights. Overall, it was wonderful to have her here and to be able to share a little slice of my life with someone with whom I'm very close. Many times I find it difficult to relay details and share experiences with people from home because of the lack of context and/or cultural understanding, and having her here was great for both of us. Although, I did have to politely ask her to avoid using facebook so many times a day. I suppose i can't expect her to change overnight :)

Until next time...