Day 7: City Life vs Village Life

Today we went out into Guatemala City and enjoyed the local food and people. Aldo (on the left), Thony (middle), and I spoke about the differences from being in Sibinal to suddenly being in Guatemala City. 

For Aldo, the differences were that in Sibinal he felt peace, tranquility, and harmony. In contrast, here in Guatemala City, he describes it as noisy and people always seem to be on the go trying to satisfy their own needs. Another difference for Aldo is that in Sibinal people are humble, sincere, simple and friendly. In contrast, here in the city people seem materialistic and superficial. For example, Aldo describes and event which took place today as we walked into a store to buy sunglasses for me. It was a prestigious part of town and as I looked around for sunglasses Aldo noticed that the woman in the counter kept looking at him and Thony from head to toe making them feel as if they did not belong in that part of town. On the other hand, I felt like she was very helpful, courteous and nice perhaps because she knew I was a foreigner. It wasn't until later that Aldo shared this with me. Below are some pictures of us in Calaya Plaza. 

For me, being in Guatemala City felt familiar. I could manage myself without asking Aldo for help. I could understand the dynamics in the city much better compared to Sibinal. In Sibinal I had to constantly rely on Aldo or other people from there. For instance, if I wanted to buy water Aldo would have to specifically point out where I had to go. In contrast, here in the city, both Aldo and Thony would look for me to take charge from getting on a Taxi to choosing a restaurant. 

It was interesting to point out the differences. What was most important about today is that we got to share one another's company one last time before they go back to Sibinal tomorrow morning. Today was a good day.