The Drive

So we just left the airport and were waiting for the famous flaming bus when it finally hit me. I was in Guatemala!!! I was nervous, anxious, excited, and happy all at the same time. I had realized that I would never be able to be fully prepared for this trip, and that was what scared me the most. After what seemed like hours, the bus finally arrived and we were on our way to Antigua! The bus ride was an amazing way to see if there was a difference between Guatemala and America, and there certainly was. The houses were smaller, the air smelled of campfire smoke, and almost every woman was carrying a basket on top of her head. However, what was most noticeable during that ride was how many people looked over at us. I mean sure, we were on a bright blue bus with red and orange flames on it, but most of the time the people were staring at us inside the bus. I mean literally, some people would stop doing what they were doing and stare us down, turning their head as we passed them. All the staring made me really self concious and awkward. But then I remembered that we are the foreigners in Guatemala, we were the ones that do not belong in the picture. I mean who can blame them for staring, its not like they see a bus full of white, black, and spanish kids every day, but it was weird to me because I was never really perceived as a true foreigner at the places I have already traveled to. At that moment, I knew that this trip was going to reveal to me what it truly felt like to be different from everyone else, and that I am going to get a whole lot of staring these three weeks.

Adel Andemeskel