First Impressions

So, in early April, I had the privilege of going back to the United States.  When I landed in the Atlanta airport I thought it would be fun to write down the first five things that were different to me after nine months in another country.

This list is for fun.  I love my country, and though I do see issues all of us could work on together to fix, that is not what this list is.  This list is just observations. On top of that, these are merely observations from the Atlanta airport (my favorite airport) and not necessarily the rest of my trip.

Noise:  This may be odd due to the fact that mufflers seem like mere suggestions down here in Guatemala, but things are done quieter here.  People talk a lot, but they speak quieter, not feeling the need to shout to get their point across.  People do not talk loudly on their phones.  They step quietly. Even in louder shoes, you may not hear them walk up on you.  It also considered rude to close doors loudly, and this attitude seems to permeate into other actions.  One things I noticed is that as Americans we speak loudly on our cell phones. I could not help overhearing a woman on her cell phone and almost thinking of going over to help her with the issue, since I knew everything about it after sitting near her for five minutes.

Skin:  I understand it was around eighty degrees in Atlanta when we landed, so it was warm.  There were a lot of shorts and tank tops on both men and women.  We live very high in the mountains, so people do not dress that way, because it is cooler.  Where we live it is also more formal, so women normally wear slacks or dresses and men at least wear dress shirts, if not slacks.  The only people I normally see in shorts in Xela are tourists or people exercising.  Not bad, just different.

Invisibility:  I stick out in Guatemala.  I am probably taller than 95 percent of the country, and I have a lot lighter skin tone.  Kids point at me in the markets. Homeless people come up asking for money, knowing as a foreigner I probably have some.  There is never a time when I do not know everybody knows I am different.  But, in the Atlanta airport, I was completely average.  I am the size of an average male in the U.S. I am an average weight.  In the states, I completely turned invisible. It was kind of nice, to be honest.

Food:  Specifically, the heaviness of food.  Butter, cheese, and meat are very expensive in Guatemala, so you cook with less of them because they are costly to use.  Restaurants use less of them for the same reason.  I got some chicken strips at Popeye's and couldn't even finish them because they were so heavy and greasy. It took me about four days to get used to the food again, and even then I could not eat more than one helping.

Trash Cans:  There are no trash cans in the toilet stalls in the men's restroom in the Atlanta airport.  In Guatemala you throw your toilet paper in the trash can, so you get used them being there.  I never did make this mistake in the States. But, before my mind caught up, I did find it weird that the airport didn't have trash cans.

These were the first five things I noticed.  They were many things after this, but I was amazed how I have gotten used to life in Guatemala, and how different it is from life in the U.S.