There is so much to love about Guatemala. I am fascinated by the rich culture here and find myself basking in the glow of even some not so graceful cultural experiences. PC does it's best to provide us with cultural training but the reality is that sometimes you have to live it to learn it...
As in every country there is a great deal of ritual in a greeting. In the US it's a handshake upon first introduction, in Spain, a kiss on each cheek, in Morocco, a kiss on one cheek and two on the other. Here in Guatemala greetings still seem to allude me because they differ so much depending on what part of the country you find yourself. In the city, they often do a kiss on one cheek. In the pueblos, maybe a kiss on the cheek, maybe a handshake. In the campo, maybe a cheek kiss, maybe a handshake, or maybe just a pat on the shoulder. One can never tell. Upon my arrival here in Estancia de la Virgen I still had not perfected my greeting detection. I was introduced to some indigenous women in the community and stupidly went in for the cheek kiss which apparently wasn't welcomed because the woman discreetly pushed me away to arms length, and gave me a meager pat on the shoulder. I was quite embarrassed as this woman probably thought me to be some sort of wanton American with promiscuous greetings... While I learned a great deal from that first day, I still have not perfected my introductions and find myself feeling a bit anxious at the prospect of meeting new people due to previous awkward encounters. Maybe in 2 years I will have it down, but by that time I will be returning to the US and Guatemalan greetings will be null.
Verbal communication is a fantastic procedure here in Guatemala. While Americans tend to be very direct and to the point, Guatemalans tend to maintain ritual and respect in every verbal interaction. A greeting which in the US would take about 10 seconds:
"Hi. How are you?"
"Fine. And you?"
"Great. Good seeing you."
"Yeah. Take care."
...And done.
This same introduction can take anywhere from 5-30 minutes here in Guatemala. Observe:
"Good day."
"Good day. How are you?"
"I am good. I am here. How are you?"
"I am good. I am here also. So, here you are."
"Yes. Here I am. Thank God above that I am here."
"Yes thank God above that you are here, and I am here."
"So how have you been?"
"Thank God, I have been very well."
"Oh I'm so glad. I am so happy that you are well."
"What are you doing now?"
"Right now I am here, just passing by."
"Oh how wonderful. I'm so glad you are passing by."
"Sí pués (Yes well...)"
"Sí pués Yes well...)"
"Well, I must get going now."
"Ok. We'll see each other soon."
"Yes. Take care of yourself"
"Yes and I hope all goes well with you."
"Adios."
"Adios."
.............and FINALLY done.
I have a great deal of respect for this ritual of communication. It's just that I am not accustomed to it, and sometimes when I stop for a quick hello with someone, I feel like I am being rude and rushing the conversation along.
Another interesting things about communication here is that what someone says and what they mean can be completely different... I suppose this happens in the US as well but here in Guatemala it is a new language and a new experience for me. Sometimes the answer someone gives you seems very vague and I am left wanting more of a direct answer.
I might say, "So, will you be coming to the meeting tomorrow?"
and someone will reply, "If God wants, I will be there."
And I am left thinking hmmm.... Well yes, I do hope God wants you to come but also perhaps you could try to make it happen. I don't know, maybe you could pull some strings, make sure you have no other plans at that time, and just walk out the door, and head to the meeting. And I mean if God strikes you down with a bolt of lightening then I guess you were right, and clearly He didn't want you to come, so I guess I'll see you next week... If God wants.
It took me a while to learn this one:
"So do you think you will come to meeting tomorrow?"
And the person says, "I will do everything that I possibly can to come to the meeting tomorrow."
What this statement actually means is: "I won't be able to make."
Living with a family here has helped me better understand communication here through observation and blunders...
When leaving the house, they almost always say, "Right now, I return."
And I think: I'm sorry but I don't actually believe you because right now you are leaving, and so how can you possibly return right now... unless you decide actually not to leave.
"Right now, I return," actually means that person will not be back for anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours.
Once, before I had grasped the significance of this phrase, I was home washing clothes when Yolanda left and said, "Right now, I return," and just after she left, 2 women came to the house looking for her. I told them, "Oh she left, but you might as well wait for here because she's coming right back."
Those poor women sat and waited for 2 hours before Yolanda finally came back and I felt like an idiot for telling them to wait...
A common phrase that strikes annoyance into the hearts of Guatemalans and Gringos a like is, "Fijese que..."
This phrase, while loathed by many is widely used by everyone. You only hate this phrase when someone says it to you but you will not hesitate to turn around and use it on someone else. "Fijese que..." is ALWAYS followed by an excuse. Fijese que... school is canceled due to an emergency fútbol tournament. Fijese que... I won't make it tonight due to gal bladder surgery. Fijese que... my homework was eaten by my neighbor's goat, etc. The point is that no one wants to hear, "Fijese que..." but when you can't come through on something and you need to tell someone your excuse, "Fijese que.." is your lone companion.
One day, which will forever be known as "Fijese Que" Day, I was served up 3 servings of "fijese que.." from 3 different people. This phrase has taught me to always be flexible. I honestly don't really mind it when plans change... It make life more spontaneous.
One thing that I have yet to get used to is the, "Hora Chapina." ("Chapina" meaning all things Guatemalan). This phrase refers to the irrelevance of time and punctuality here in Guatemala. I won't admit to being the most punctual person, but growing up in a society run by alarms, bells, watches, and clocks, I find it difficult to adapt to the loose concept of time here. Usually if someone tells you, "I'll be there at 9am," It means they will actually be there at 10-10:30am. During counterpart day at the Peace Corps office, PC addressed this with our counterparts and told them that we will expect them to be prompt. So now I have a counterpart that is very inconsistent... One day he shows up an hour late, the next he's right on time. This makes it difficult because at least if he were always 1 hour late, I could account for that and take my time... The one day I did this, he was coming to pick me up to present me to one of my schools and since he had always been late before I took my time getting ready. On this day, he decided to try to appease the American and showed up right on time. He even apologized for showing up 2 minutes after 10am, which was the agreed upon time. I was caught completely off guard, still drinking my coffee and lazily reading a book thinking I had all the time in the world.
Cutting the cake... this cake was the product of a 1-hour long, indirect conversation with some kids. They started off by asking me for a frosting recipe and after an hour, had me agreeing to help them bake 6 cakes.
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