Thursday 07.02
After the first excitement on our blog and the urge to write everything that we experienced, the pace went down a bit... But also because we didn´t spend so much time on the pc. And is natural. Actually I feel a bit guilty being in such a country and spending time on the pc, but still is a necessary bad thing to happen, if you don´t want to be separated from the whole world!
Anyways, on Friday we visited for the first time the city of Guatemala, for which we heard sooooo many bad things. So we were prepared at least to be robbed!!! We left all of our precious belongings in the hostel, we took only a small amount of money, our little camera and a lot of force to face the "dangerous city". Actually we had our first appointment in the university of San Carlos with David.
The things that we encounter was not much as we have been told though. The buses that took us there were colorfull, and the destination of the city made them FULL of people. The travel with these buses however is pretty much the same for all destinations. 4 seats in a row of a bus, where at least 6 people were sitting, and many many more standing! Quite an experience to be squizeed in that buses!
As we arrived in the university, there was a familiar smell and feeling. Most of the students were dressed with normal western clothes, and looking curiously at us, that we were dressed with colourfull "hippie" clothes!!! And additionally we were quite lucky to encounter a small demonstration of students, demanding no cuts in the badget of the university as well as no reform to be done! Yes as you understand same story here as well... Multnational corporations want to enter the university and "fund it" for their own benefit.. The sounds of Manu Chao spread on the whole university, transmitting from a squatted building, bring in the mind the passed years (and the years to come, i hope) in Greece. However the students that were manifesting were dressed with the typical cloaks of the university and ALL of them wore fullfaces in order to cover their characteristics. As you will see in the pictures to follow the scenario is quite familiar.
Our appointments worked pretty well, and we met some new people, researchers. professors and everybody were so happy to talk about their projects. However, sometimes more than we could bare..!
But is ok, as that is the fate of university people! The outcome of this was another appointment to follow for next Monday, in order to investigate the possibility of us working in another commuinity in the northern part of Guatemala. And the only thing that we knew by that time was that the Northern part is muuuuuch more green...
Todo bien!!
