T.I.G.

If you’ve ever seen the movie Blood Diamond, you may recall a phrase that is repeated by Leonardo DiCaprio several times during the course of the film as a response to anything preposterous. “TIA… This Is Africa,” is a phrase that means something to the effect of, “I don’t have any rational explanation for what just happened.”

Suffice it to say that after many “TIA” moments of our own, Shom and I now have a new way of dealing with the absurdity that is daily life in Guatemala. Any time we begin to feel frustrated or perplexed or incredulous by the things going on around us, we simply shake our heads and say, “TIG… This Is Guatemala.”

In addition to our TIG coping mechanism, we’ve also compiled a list of lessons learned about life in Guatemala. In the hopes that this may provide some comic relief for you folks back home, I would like to share it with you…

1. Don’t worry about being on time for anything. Odds are that even if you’re three hours late… you’ll be half an hour early.

2. Don’t underestimate the power of amoebas: brush your teeth with bottled water.

3. If you do get amoebas, thank your lucky stars that A., you’re engaged to a medical student who can diagnose your ailment, and B., in Guatemala you don’t need a doctor’s prescription to buy antibiotics from a pharmacist.

4. Never walk down the street without looking at the ground, or else you’re bound to wind up with your foot in a pile of shit.

5. Don’t hang your laundry out in an open field to dry during the rainy season.

Speaking of the rainy season, they don’t kid around down here! Just look at the picture I took of the street outside our house and the rushing river of rainwater that forms every time it so much as begins to drizzle.