Posts Tagged ‘this is wherever wednesday’

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Wherever Wednesday post, but Gayle over at Texifornia is starting it back up and I decided to join. I realize that the longer I live in Guatemala the easier it is to forget what is unique or different about life here. The truth is my sense of what is “normal” has blurred over the past few years. I forget that in the states it’s not “normal” to see people hanging on the back of buses while it’s moving, or that it’s not “normal” for women to sell little bags of pre-cut fruit on street corners or that usually (and by usually I mean never) is it normal to see a family of 4 riding on one motorcycle together.

But this is Guatemala.

If you’ve ever lived in another country or spent significant time with people from a culture different from your own, you know that what is “normal” for you is not necessarily “normal” for anyone else.  Have you ever thought about how much our sense of “normal” is influenced by  what is familiar and frequent?

For example, I’ll use California because I know it well. In most parts of California has become “normal” to spent $100+ on a pair of designer jeans. And don’t worry, I’m including myself in this “normal.” The brand names are talked about, recognized, the subtle logo conveniently advertised on fellow friends’ rear ends. And boom. It becomes the new normal. It becomes so familiar and frequent that you now would not not but designer jeans, right?

Somehow being from this culture, but living outside of it allows me to look inside with a different lens. At myself, what I used to do, what I still want, and what I consider “normal.”

Here are some other examples:

-Spending $3 or more for a coffee drink

-Getting visibly frustrated when internet pages load too slowly

- Taking a Babymoon (I’ll be honest I love this idea for one day, but when did this become normal?)

- Spending more on home decorations, than giving to those in need

-When did it become normal for yoga pants to cost 70$? (yes, I’m talking about you lulu lemon)

- Being busy is a sign of being important

- Using books and authors as a way to talk about God and feel smart, instead of just living what I’ve learned.

These things all seems relatively “normal” to me. Maybe to you, too…right?

But, honestly, I don’t like that that these things are my “normal.”

Living in Guatemala and being married to a Guatemalan has challenged my faith, my way of living and what I understand as “normal.” I probably have more questions than answers and sometimes it just leaves me paralyzed, indecisive and over-analyzing…EVERYTHING.

This is what I’ve observed is “normal” for Guatemalans:

- Sharing food is important. Quantity usually matters more than quality.

- Greeting every single person when you come and when you leave. (Parents even make their little babies do this!)

- For as indirect as Guatemalans are about confrontation, they will ask “How much did that cost?” without any qualms (about a new car, a cellphone, a computer, a house…ANYTHING)

- A family may have a dirt floor and live in material poverty, but they will have a TV.  TV is important.

-Soccer can be played anywhere.

- Typically Guatemalan parents save their money in order to give their grown child a piece of land for a home, not a wedding.

- When natural disasters strike or just a day of “bad” weather people don’t complain and ask why?. They just accept it.

I have learned these things, but they are not yet my “normal.” However, I think when we engage intentionally and learn how other people live it challenges our own definition of “normal”

What is normal for you in your town or culture? How do you resist or accept it? Do share. Especially people who have lived cross-culturally : )

P.S. And link up next month with This is Wherever Wednesday!

Perhaps it’s because I grew up in southern California or because my family is a little health crazy, but for whatever reason if there are two things Ackers do well its a) make a really good salad and b) make a smoothie. I mean salads and smoothies- what else better categorizes so cal living, huh?

So on this Wednesday I will share my smoothie making secrets. Gerber and I both love smoothies. Granted we make them differently, but almost every morning we have one for breakfast. Believe it or not we use our blender more than our coffee maker- so very un-guatemalan of us, I know.

My definition of a good smoothie is one that tastes good and is packed full of good things for you (i.e. spinach, flaxseed, natural bee pollen and some power-packed moringa- more on this later). When I make smoothies like this Gerber looks at me and then inspects his glass and asks, “Did you add that healthy stuff?”

To which I always respond, yep. 

He shakes his head ever so slightly. I know what he’s thinking, but he drinks it anyway because it really does taste good. Healthy stuff and all.

The Art of the Smoothie

{my disclaimer: this is recipe for a super healthy smoothie }

Step 1: Frozen fruit- I usually add a handful of frozen strawberries, one banana, a few blackberries and if we have pineapple or papaya I throw that in too. (really you can add whatever fruit you have on hand- fill your blender about 2/3 of the way full with the frozen fruit)

Step 2: Frozen Spinach- I like freezing it in little plastic baggies so it’s always on hand. (Now, if you’re making this for picky eaters or picky spouses, I’ll just tell you straight up, you usually can see little specs of green, but you really can’t taste anything. promise)

Step 3: Flaxseed, Bee Pollen and/or some Moringa- I don’t know if Moringa is available in the states, but its should be. It’s packed with plant based vitamins and minerals. It’s grown here locally, but I think you can order it online if you’re interested. Obviously this is all depending on what you or your family have in the pantry. I add ground Flax for some good omega-3s and fiber, locally grown bee pollen, which is supposed to help with seasonal allergies and has all kinds of B-vitamins and the moringa, well I think is kind of like a plant miracle. {you could also add honey if you wanted)

I also usually add about 1/2 cup of plain yogurt– or whatever kind you have in the fridge.

Step 4: Orange Juice- To me this is the secret. You can use soy milk or another kind of milk product but the orange juice adds a little natural sweetener and flavor. Pour the OJ almost up the same level as the fruit.

Step 5: Blend- add a little more OJ or water depending on desired thickness.

Step 6: Pour - And know that you’re drinking one of thee healthiest smoothies around. Bonus: it’s great to take on the go.

What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Happy Wednesday!

I posted this on instagram earlier today because it was my detour while driving to a meeting up at one of our schools. What you can’t totally see from the picture is there is a 50 ft drop off on the left side and an another drop behind the tractor.

this. is. guatemala.

I thought I’d share a few rules of the road that I’ve learned in the past few years:

-Always, always look out for speed-bumps. They’re on every street, often every 10 feet. (it’s great practice for downshifting from 2nd to 1st gear) #yesilearnedhowtodrivestickshifthere

-when you come to a narrow street, bridge with one lane, etc. the bigger car always has the right away. (thankfully because I drive this beast around so I usually get the right away) #myhusbandshareshistruckwithme

- If you need to run into the store, grab coffee, get something at a tienda, etc- just pull over and leave your flashers on.

It means “sorry-I-know-what-I’m-doing-is-illegal-but-I’m-going-to-do-it-anyway.” It works especially well for “parking” where it’s red or when you know you’re blocking one lane of traffic. #everyonedoesit #weuseflashersalot

-you CAN pass cop cars or in this case cop trucks (not joking!)

Nothing. I repeat nothing happens. The first time Gerber zoomed around a police truck I just about peed my pants. I may have screamed, “what the heck are you doing?” Shocked, he looked at me dumbfound. Whatttt??? Since then I’ve taken on the same nonchalant attitude and I pass a cop at least once a day. #youcouldneverdothatinthestates

- When you have to break suddenly or you see a long line of cars in front of you braking. What you do? Use the flashers. I think it signals to everyone else, hey, I’m really breaking here. again #weuseflashersalot

-I’ve already written here about Guatemalans’ creative use of tree branches and other forms of saying CAUTION while on the road. So not only do you have be able to interpret tree branch and rock code, but look for the use of flashing brights. If someone coming the opposite direction on the highway flashes their brights at you it means “hey, watch out…something is up-ahead.” I think I’d like a Morris code system. Something like one quick flash = hole in the road, two quick, one long flash = accident ahead and one short, two long = mudslide. But what I do know is you have to #alwaysbeonthelookout

- seeing people in the back of a pickup is totally, 100% normal. I mean check out this girl- she is not worried at all about seat-belts, head injuries, accidents, and everything she learned in physics about the moving velocity of objects inside a car keep moving at that speed even when the car comes to a stop. #ipaidattentionindriverstraining

Happy Wednesday to you! Drive safe out there.

Are there any new driving laws in the states?

Wednesday are my attempt to capture part of what life is like here in Guatemala.

Feel free to join in. Wherever you are. 

Sometimes I am reminded how different things are in Guatemala. Like last week’s sighting.

Now on to this week.

I was skyping with my friend earlier this week and she heard a horrible noise through the microphone.

She gasped and asked “what the heck was that?”

Oh, nothing. Just gunshots.

yes, gunshots.

this. is. guatemala.

I say it nonchalantly because it is. kinda.

When I moved into our home the next door neighbor warned me that every night between 10pm  – 2am there are gunshots. Supposedly, the guards from the different residential communities (ours included) shoot their guns into the air as a way to ward off potential criminals.

I imagine it’s like dogs marking their territory.

Something like, hey I got this place covered. It’s mine.

Although maybe it’s just what they do to stay awake between those awful hours. I dunno.

Regardless, it is somewhat normal. And now I don’t even notice it.

And if it’s not gunshots that you hear, then it will be firecrackers.

I tell you if there is ever any real attack in Guatemala, I will not know it because firecrackers sounds very similar to bombs going off.

(not that I really know what a bomb sounds like).

But just go with me.

However, most days my life looks pretty normal. No guns, no firecrackers and no bombs.

( see proof below)

normal life. waiting in line at the bank.

finally bought a bedside lamp. it’s a little small, but my stack of books finally has a purpose.

we take naps. like father, like…. dog.

And try to exercise.  This week we played ultimate.

However, the real reason I play is it’s the only opportunity I get to wear these sexy shoes.

i buy lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

And carefully soak all of them for 5 min to get rid of any creatures that may have caused this.

(and yes, I keep our fruit basket on top of our washing machine. you don’t?)

see, pretty normal.

I refrained from taking pictures of the guns that our guards carry. This is a family friendly blog : )

If you’re really interested google “guns in Guatemala.” You’ll get the idea.

What did you take pictures of this Wednesday?

I don’t have kids. So I take pictures of our dog.

I never, EVER thought I would be one of those people who posts pictures of their pets on the worldwideweb. But here I am.

What is the world coming to?

My sister and friend Chelsea are going to be shocked. I know.

Yesterday I saw a woman riding a scooter. No big deal, I know.

Lots of women ride scooters.

But this woman was riding on the back of a scooter…

BREAST FEEDING.

no joke.

There are many things Guatemalans do that I try to incorporate into my life.

But, this will not be one of them.

I am certain.

(this is not a picture of the breastfeeding woman. I was too shocked/amazed/confused to even begin to pull out my camera. This happens to be the only photo I have of a family scooter experience)

this is guatemala

Happy Wednesday wherever you are!

yes, I know, I know…today is not Wednesday. It’s Thursday. But just go with me. The days and the weeks sometimes burr together here. I am trying desperately to create a little routine in my life- in a country, culture and job where things seem to change. all. of. the. time.

 I mean…this is guatemala.

I think Guatemalans are perhaps some of the most flexible, least likely to complain people on the whole planet. I do not yet count myself in this group- not yet anyway. But maybe I’m getting closer. Maybe? For instance, things like changes in road conditions used to confuse and frustrate me– now they just kind of fascinate me. When there is road construction in Guatemala one of two things happen either:  a) all the cars just wait for (insert: minutes, hours or days) for the dirt to be moved or b) they drive right through it.

I mean I have seen things that would never, ever be legal in the states, but here it just works. One way streets suddenly become two way streets with oncoming traffic swerving around the half fallen cliff. And huge open holes in the side of the road do not mean don’t pass. No, no the contrary. Cars, buses and scooters drive right by at perhaps a slightly slower speed.

I was leaving a friends house last week and had to stop to take a picture.  (see above) This actually does have one piece of caution tape and then a tree branch. (please, please notice the tree branches). When in Guatemala always look out for tree branches. Here tree branches mean CAUTION. Seriously, Guatemalans are incredibly resourceful. If your car breaks down on the side of the road– gather tree branches to put behind it to ward off on coming traffic. If there is a huge pothole in the middle of the road– stick a tree branch in it to let others know. If the road suddenly dead ends– just line up some tree branches. I mean who needs cones?

this is guatemala

On another note. This video has been playing on repeat in our house for the past week. It’s in Spanish, but they are great singers and it’s some quality music. Plus, it was filmed here. enjoy.

this is guatemala

What has been playing in your house this past Wednesday? or Thursday?

I live a first world life, in a third world country. I have running water in my house, wireless internet that usually works, a purple yoga mat and a scooter.  Inside my refrigerator you’ll find honey mustard and BBQ sauce, and on my kitchen counter sits an automatic coffee maker with adorable Anthropologie towels hanging above it. These are very first world things.

Walk 30 yards outside the gate and you’ll see my neighbors’ surroundings: make-shift homes out of cement block, corrugated sheet metal and plastic lamina. Billowing smoke rises up from their wood burning stoves and brooms sweep away the dust on their dirt floors. These are third world things.

And some how the two collide here.  Side by side.

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this is guatemala. t.i.g

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{ women waiting to fill up their water jugs in santa maria de jesus }

My neighbor’s son plays on the grass in front of our house as she waters her lawn. Less than 20 minutes away where I teach, the families and schools do not have running water because the city government won’t pay to buy a new pump for well water.

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this is guatemala. t.i.g

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On one corner of the street there is an internet cafe. Directly across a man hunches over to readjust the firewood stacked up on his back. Checking facebook status’ and recent youtube videos on one side, and carrying fuel for tonight’s meal on the other.

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this is guatemala. t.i.g

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I walk past the park on my way to buy bread in the panaderia. Junior high age girls sit perched on the benches giggling, sending text messages and watching the boys leave school. An older women with grey hair and round hips balances a basket of fruit on her head, keeping one had in her apron holding onto her days’ earnings and another tightly wrapped around the tiny wrist of little one. They wait for the busy to head home.

•   •   •

this is guatemala. t.i.g

  •   •   •

Guatemala is a land of contradictions. Where the first world enters the third world, but often does not allow the third world the same rite of passage. They are held together in this odd tension. It’s a tension that begs to ask:

How does Guatemala have one of the world’s Nobel Prizes in Literature, but yet still have one of the high rates of illiteracy in Central America?

A Guatemalan woman was awarded The Nobel Peace Prize in 1992, and yet there are now more killings each day than there were during the civil war. Why?

How come Guatemala’s Mayan ancestors were some of the most ingenuitive and wise people of their day, but the majority of the research on these people and their kingdoms has been written in English? Which means most Guatemalan kids do not learn about their own Mayan heritage in the schools.

How come some Guatemalans travel to Europe to shop and have weekend houses at the lake, but there are millions more who spend 14 hours plowing a field just to earn a $1.50 for their days work?

•   •   •

this is guatemala. t.i.g

  •   •   •

A land of first world luxurious and third world poverty. I have to believe there is something the two can learn from each other. Some kind of reciprocal sharing that can take place. I have to believe this because I live here, between these two worlds. I get to see it. and feel it. and smell it. and experience it. each. and. every. day. And I like that. I get to wrestle with what it means to live within this tension. And hopefully find ways to build relationships between these two worlds.

•   •   •

this is guatemala. t.i.g

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 { some of the people I get to do this kind of relationship building work with }

Don’t ya wanna come be part of it? : )

I have lived in Guatemala since 2010. And there are many things about life here that have become quite normal to me- seeing a family of four pile onto a motorcycle or watching women carry baskets of freshly cut fruit on their heads, selling it in little bolsitas in the park. I am no longer surprised when I see a horse drawn carriage trotting down the street, only to be passed by a shiny BMW. And it no longer phases me as much when I see kids playing at recess amidst mini-construction zones filled with moving tractors, rebar cutters and cement mixers. I mean in the states, we would have cornered off the whole street with yellow caution tape and closed school. But not here.

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this is guatemala. t.i.g

  •   •   •

 Long gone our the days of online bill paying (doesn’t exist), dishwashers (actually never seen one in Guatemala), and co-pays (for better or worse the health insurance system doesn’t really work down here)

 •   •   •

this is guatemala. t.i.g

  •   •   •

But this is also where avocados are available year round, no one worries about getting sued, and the lady at the local tienda throws some extra tomatoes in my bag just to be nice. People are generous, generally, very patient and do not complain.

 •   •   •

this is guatemala. t.i.g

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One of my friends saw this idea on this blog here. And I am joining in.

Today is my first Wherever Wednesday.

And my wherever is Guatemala.

So, stay turned. This is my weekly attempt to share a glimpse into life here.

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this is guatemala. t.i.g

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Where is your Wherever Wednesday?