Touch of Guatemalans

One of the best memories I’ve had so far of Guatemala is at the lake where we stayed for 2 nights. I had the idea of taking the canoe out to the lake and enjoy the late afternoon before the sun starts to set. I forgot that I dislike water, and panic immediately gripped me as soon as I stepped into the canoe. Blue eyes found it amusing, he’s so used to lake and water that it feels like second skin to him. He managed to calm me down a bit and we started paddling further out to the lake. I was still afraid until blue eyes pointed me to a boat away from us where 4 kids were laughing and enjoying the lake view.

We watched the kids for a while. They saw us watching and laughed. The oldest boy was doing most of the paddling while the others laughed and giggled away. Our boats soon crossed each other and blue eyes gave them some snacks that he had in his bag. They tried to fight for the snacks among them, laughed some more and then paddled away. We laughed along with them, waved and watched them for a couple more minutes. No jokes needed and I forgot I was afraid.

Guatemalans always have a smile on their face. Regardless of how difficult life can be. And life here can be difficult. Especially on the highlands. On our way to the lake, often times we see men carrying heavy loads of wood on their back while walking up the steep hill. Kids and their mothers carry handicrafts on their heads and try to make ends meet. Later in the day, mothers get busy washing clothes on the edge of the lake while their children swim and play in the water. Fathers go out to the lake to lay out their fishing nets for the next day catch. And finally when the sun sets, family returns home and have a meal together.

Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. The US Department of State website, quoting the World Bank, said Guatemala’s income distribution was one of the most unequal in the region with the wealthiest 20% of population consuming 51% of GDP. This means 51% of the 15 million population earns less than US$2 a day and 15% on less than US$1 per day.

On the day when we’re leaving Lake Atitlan, there were two kids playing near our pier. They saw us and laughed. We smiled. Blue eyes had some stickers from Finland so he gave one to each. They gigled, said “gracias” and ran away and hid behind some trees not far away. When our boat arrived and we got on it, they came out of their hiding and waved us goodbye. Again no words needed, just a simple gesture and we felt touched in some ways.