Next Few Days

The next four days (August 19th to August 23rd) were a whirlwind. I could not believe that we could have fit in so many activities. Mario's dad was a fireman. He decided that he will drive us in our rented  van. In his profession the faster he drove to a site of accident or fire, his opportunity to pick up that job (as in taking the patient to the hospital or quenching the fire) was greater. Interestingly several firemen would be notified and the first one who arrived at the site would get the job. What a way to handle an emergency! His driving habit would keep my eyes closed in many occasions...

I still remember the cost of renting a van for one week was almost $700. That is a lot of money when we could have rented the same van in US for $200 for one week. Car rental was done mainly by Americans and it seemed they figured that Americans could afford any fee they charged.

We drove through the town. There were potholes everywhere. It was expected that your tire would blow once a week. Well we had a flat tire within days, but repair cost was only $2.00. The city was heavy in pollution. I could feel my lungs longing for fresh air. As soon as we left the Guatemala city, I was keenly aware of wonderful and fresh air.

A group of church members took us out to eat. We were special. It was not everyday that an American family visited the local church in Guatemala. There must have been twenty of us. After a meal, the waiter made a bee line to Tom. He was the only white man at the whole table. So Tom paid the bill. And wherever we went, no matter how small or large the crowd, it was the same. Yet everything seemed to be so inexpensive that it was really OK.