Every day, I am traveling by bus between Nebaj and Cotzal. I catch the bus at the Terminal of Nebaj or by the big Catholic church in Cotzal. The busses leave every 30 minutes and are relatively reliable (as reliable as anything can be in Guatemala anyway). A Guatemalan microbus is basically a glorified van. They all have some expression like "Dios es Amor" written on the front. They are a miracle on wheels as they can hold just about an infinite amount of people. It is kind of like Jesus feeding 10,000 people with a few loaves of bread. Yesterday, I was riding in the bus and it felt like a normal busride. It then struck me that there were 24 people crammed into this vehicle, complete with a mother nursing her baby and 4 youth hanging out the door as the bus sped down the road to Nebaj. This has now become my new normal.
It was also on this particular busride that my phone was stolen. That is one negative to this form of transportation. We are crammed in there like sardines and if somebody takes something out of your pocket, you do not feel anything. After the ride was over and I related my story to people, they all seemed very nonchalant about it, like it happened all the time. Yes, that is my new normal as well. I need to have a firm grasp on my valuables at all times.
Well that kind of stinks. Had a similar experience in Albania on a bus. Back in the days of camera film, I had mine swiped cleanly from my pockets without noticing. Even my Albanian translator got her pocket picked in the market.
ReplyDeleteJordan, these are facinating to read as someone who usually just spends hours in chlorine perfumed air with you....breathe that fresher air, protect your stuff and enjoy your mission...you are supposed to be there. Your kids are fine here, I am bringing them the pic of you in the classroom tonight to practice!
ReplyDeleteAnother thing about the Guatemalan Mircrobus...they do not work perfectly all the time. I experienced my first bus breakdown today, luckily it was only a 15 minute pit stop to change the tire. Gary, it stinks but it was a good lesson too. I was just beginning to feel comfortable with everything and probably got too comfortable. Lisa, I am glad to hear that my swimmers are doing good! Thank you for everything and it means a lot that Cascade still let me coach this season despite knowing I would be gone for 3 months!
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