This is one day’s wandering around Guatemala City.
About a hundred and twenty years ago a group of Guatemalan cartographers got together and spent twelve years riding around the country on foot, on burros, and on sailboats measuring their country inch by inch. Then they came back together and built this giant 1:2000 scale relief map in downtown Guatemala City. Today it makes for a pretty awesome geography lesson.
Across the street was a nice park with plenty of fun things for the kids to explore. First they made “houses” on old steamrollers and we talked about the different engines on each one since they all looked surprisingly similar to the engines on our boat. Then we continued our walk and came across a kids’ chess tournament. Further along we were able to watch multiple kids’ marching bands practicing.
Then we found one of those things that is so uniquely non-American—a four-wheeler track in the middle of a public park where the kids could whip around a track for Q5 (.70 cents) per lap with no helmets to be found anywhere. The throttles were pinned down with screws to keep them from full speed, but they had fun nonetheless.
And at the other end of the park was a full-on carnival. For about a buck they were able to laugh and have fifteen minutes of fun going around on a rickety old ferris wheel. I feel like I tend to go on about the cost of things down here, but it really is amazing what a difference it makes in life when things are reasonably priced. For five bucks our kids were able to whip around a few laps on four-wheelers. For a buck they could laugh and have fun on a ferris wheel. There were no entrance fees to these things. We just walk up, choose what we want to do, pay for it, and enjoy. The simple freedom of being able to essentially stumble across a park like this, and not have to commit an entire day and a couple hundred dollars to it, makes it so much more enjoyable. Our kids didn’t even ask to go on any of the other rides. They played a couple games of air-hockey, and rolled a couple games of skee-ball, and thirty minutes after walking into the “carnival” we were walking back toward downtown to have lunch. It’s so much less commitment than we feel in the States. Where I grew up, going on a ride meant going to Valleyfair, which meant parents taking a day off work (or going on a dreaded weekend) and committing piles of money to it. Here we’re able to just come and have fun, have some laughs, and move on. I love these things.
It helps too that my kids are awesome. They could have easily talked me into more rides, but they didn’t. They chose the one they really wanted to go on and didn’t say a word about the others. Then I bought a few tokens for them to play games. They played air-hockey with each other, then played a couple games that gave them tickets. They didn’t have nearly enough tickets to “buy” anything worthwhile at the end, and so without a moment’s hesitation Ouest gave her tickets to Lowe so he could get a small foam airplane. An airplane which he spent the rest of the day flying around in his imaginary world.
I know, I’m gushing about how much I love my kids, and Guatemala, and life in general. I’ll stop now.
This neighborhood was full of cool old houses that would be the envy of any HGTV renovation show.
We had our sights on a different restaurant, but when we walked past this place and peeked through the window it looked good, so we headed inside. The owner came up and told us what the menu consisted of—lasagna, carne, or pollo. We chose some of each, and for about three-fifty per plate this is what we got, along with some fresh juice and tortillas. Come on, how great is that lunch?
By now everyone knows how much we love old buildings like this. 1922 and absolutely beautiful, graffiti and all.
The lens our kids see the world through is so vastly different from the one I grew up with. There’s no way for me to know at this point, but I hope it serves them well later on. I admit, I do wish more people could see the world the way we do. I wish for a moment they could put themselves in the place of the lady who walks around all day with a twenty pound bundle of clothes that she sewed herself balanced on her head—at an age that most of us consider to be retirement—trying to sell enough to go home and feed her family that night. I tell you, it doesn’t take much to gain some empathy down here. A white man born into the privilege of the United States couldn’t possibly have it any easier—and most will never realize it.
Everyone has to earn a buck somehow. In this picture alone we’ve got a lady selling bird feed, another selling clothes with a mannequin she carries with her, a guy who walks the plaza taking pictures for tourists, and even a custom chicken bus driver who takes wedding parties to the church.
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that we got a new camera. While our “big” camera is being repaired we’re only using the new “small” camera we bought that our friends just brought down from the States with them right before we left for the city. So far, a couple weeks in, I’m super happy with it. Everything you see above was taken with it. Amazing how far technology has come. When we first left Chicago we had just bought a Fuji 1.6 megapixel digital camera. We were the only people we knew who had a digital camera at that time. Sixteen years later we’ve got about a bazillion megapixels per picture. If you’re in the market for a new camera check this one out.
Some day we’ll probably replace our Canon 6D with a Sony mirrorless camera to go along with this one, but for now we’re happy with the Canon. It’s our big camera, and now that we’ve got this Sony we’ll probably keep the Canon a lot longer. The Canon will be our “boat” camera while this little Sony will be our “walking around” camera.
Our Canon had been broken the past couple of months. Two of our lenses weren’t working at all and the camera body itself was acting funky too. We contacted Canon and were told the only service facility was in Guatemala City, which as it turned out, was just four blocks from the condo we rented. So I walked up there the day after we got into town and was immediately treated like a welcome visitor. Trying to discuss the intricacies of camera problems was a bit beyond the scope of my Spanish, but the guy helping me understood what I was telling him, and then went and typed up a full couple of paragraphs into google, translated it, and printed it out for me so I’d understand exactly what needed to be done. About that time another Canon guy who spoke perfect English came back from lunch. Together the three of us sussed out the likely problems, and what it would take to repair it. They then sent it off to wherever it was going, and e-mailed me a quote a week later.
When I went in to pay the deposit to begin the repairs I got to talking to them a bit more. They were so eager to be helpful to me. Why? Genuinely nice people is really the only explanation. They have no reason to care about me, or my photography, or my life. But pretty soon we were talking about all of it, and about their lives too. It blew their minds that I had walked there from just a few blocks away. It was pretty clear they don’t see a lot of gringos come through their office. Anyway, point being, people are pretty awesome. For a city that doesn’t seem to get any love whatsoever from the press, we have nothing but good things to say.
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42 Comments on “Gushing Over Guatemala”
Gush away!
Your comments remind me of my travel hero, Anthony Bourdain (RIP) & his take on traveling, from a Forbes interview:
“What has surprised you as you travel to these destinations?
I’m generally surprised in a good way. I’m constantly shocked by how nice people are, even people who I have very little in common with and people who have little reason to be nice to me. Again and again and again, I am the recipient of random acts of kindness from total strangers with whom I share very little as far as world view.
What inspires you about travel?
I like the learning curve. I find it very exciting to find myself in a city that I’ve never been to before, where I don’t speak the language at all, have no idea what’s going on, can’t read the signs and can’t read the menu. That sense of discovery of having to learn a lot of things really quickly just to learn how to feed yourself and get around—that’s exciting. I’m well into my 50s; to be forced to learn things all of the time is very gratifying to me. If you go to the same place every day for a few days in Vietnam, that first day that you can order noodles for yourself is extremely satisfying.”
From this it seems the life experiences you’re giving your kids will definitely serve them well! They’ll learn to find the good in people & the resourcefulness within themselves-hopefully! 🙂
I have the mirrorless Sony a6000. Since purchasing it, my huge DSLR has remained in a cupboard. The a6000 can be carried in my tote, it’s not too heavy/large and the images are amazing. That said, I also have a teeny little Sony (HX90v – with a 30x zoom) that is most-always in my handbag. Both of these Sony’s can hook-up wirelessly (no internet needed) to my iPhone, so I can instantly transfer phone photos to my camera, and camera photos to my phone (Instagram!). You must be missing something in your gushing because hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans are fleeing their country.
Of course I’m missing something while visiting Guatemala City, where there is obviously a high concentration of the country’s wealth. Especially as an outsider who can come and go as I like.
Here’s a good thread from the Washington Office of Latin Affairs (WOLA)
1- Brief thread: as @adam_wola points out, a huge proportion of those apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border are families and children.
The #1 country of origin? Guatemala, specifically, those forced to abandon the country’s rural, poor, violent, drought-stricken highlands.
2- What shall we make of this?
For starters, Guatemala would do well to implement more effective government programs to address food security, malnutrition & other concerns in these areas. Get help to the people who need it, so that migration doesn’t feel like the only option.
3- So how can Guatemala build more effective institutions, capable of responding to problems driving people to migration (whether that is food insecurity or violence)?
Well the first step is recognizing the role that CORRUPTION plays in draining the state’s ability to do this.
4- Think of the amount of public funds and tax dollars squandered in Guatemala due to embezzled contracts, shady payoffs. Millions of $$$ that could’ve gone to a food security program for the country’s poorest and most vulnerable. It didn’t. And now: people migrate. // END
So basically, the poorest people, mainly in the highlands, are being given no help, are being taken advantage of, and are starving. All of which leads to violence, adding yet another layer to flee from. But as long as you were born in the States, there’s no problem, right? Just shut down the border and pretend the country is full all of the sudden.
I’ve been following your site since Apr 2010, and it is such an utter disappointment to read:
“A white man born into the privilege of the United States couldn’t possibly have it any easier—and most will never realize it.”
…seriously? When you write the word “white”, do you mean Slavic, Germanic, Caucasian, Latin, Turkic, Celtic, Scandinavian?
“Easy” is a relative term…of which you’re both aware given the travels you’ve completed.
The quality of life in the following 12 countries are ranked better than the USA: Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Australia, Iceland, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Estonia–in that order.
The preceding info ties directly into the following data: The top ranked (read as: most powerful) passports as per passportindex.org list the United Arab Emirates as #01 with the most powerful passport.
Finland, Luxembourg, and Spain are collectively ranked 2nd.
Denmark, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Ireland, USA are collectively ranked 3rd.
Sweden, Singapore, France, Belgium, Malta, Greece, Norway, Canada are collectively ranked 4th.
Many caucasians in those countries listed above have much greater privilege than caucasians in the USA when compared with the living index, cost of living, access to affordable education, access to affordable medical care, personal safety, low-crime, and visa-free travel…etc.
Approximately 42% (137,588,631) of the approximate 329,192,859 citizens of the USA in 2019, hold active passports.
Comparatively,
-approximately 66% (24,736,039) of the 37,478,848 citizens of Canada in 2019 possess active passports.
-approximately 76% (50,702,966) of the 66,978,66 citizens of UK in 2019 possess active passports.
…couldn’t find reliable numbers for the percentage of the 132,328,035 citizens in Mexico
-approximately 57% (14,438,972) of the approximately 25,010,000 to 25,415,000 citizens of Australia in 2019 possess active passports.
Perhaps the issue has more to do more to do with mentality and priority, rather than with the pair of sex chromosomes (aka, male) of a person and the amount of Melanin produced by a person (aka, skin color, or “white” as written).
But what would I know, as “white” “man” with “USA citizenship” who has been living in the heart of the middle east for the better part of a decade, and who travels to isolated regions of countries around the globe since 1990, when only 04.5% (11,116,489) of the 248,709,873 citizens held active passports. Many of the folks I encounter in my travels to isolated areas can’t believe how many of “my people”–their words, “deliberately increase their stress and worry by focusing on shit that doesn’t matter, that doesn’t hold any value, that adds nothing to life–their life or those around them”. They “love how easy their life in their country is compared to the west”–their words. They “welcome me and my people, but don’t want to know about the bullshit occurring in the west”–also their words.
huh? Seriously? You can’t possibly pretend not to know what being born a white man in America means. My point is simply that by nothing more than being born where we were, we receive amazing privilege that most will never receive, not because they are unworthy, but because of where they were born. And honestly, if you think I’m in some way claiming America is the greatest, you clearly have not been following along as long as you claim. As for your last few sentences, I meet people all the time, whether in isolated areas or big cities, who say the same thing, and I couldn’t agree with them more. Cool google numbers, though, thanks.
“You can’t possibly pretend not to know what being born a white man in America means.”
I’m not pretending, I am clearly and emphatically stating that the idea of being born male with white skin in the USA somehow provides a level or privilege beyond other countries is an absolute and complete myth. Especially after providing data of the living index for 12 countries ahead of the US as well as the 14 countries with more powerful passports than that of the US….data that you describe as “google numbers”. Seriously, if you want to understand privilege, go to the GCC and spend some time around the citizens there….you’ll see real racism in about 02 minutes, and you’ll observe real privilege, and you’ll observe genuine disparity and classist society. Whatever you think you’re describing about the US, you have no clue about it being practiced in 2019, in other areas of the world.
Nothing was ever handed to me, nothing was ever overlooked for me, no favors were ever provided, no hiring was given to me over someone else, no promotions were handed out, no officer ever let me go with a warning, I’ve been yanked out of vehicles during unjustified felony stops, …not one extra was ever provided as a “white man in America”. I worked multiple jobs to put myself through school, went hungry during those times. I was homeless, living out of my truck having to be extra careful to avoid the attn of law enforcement so as to not be arrested and have my vehicle impounded as I couldn’t afford the associated fees…that time sucked. This notion that I had it easier in the US as white man, is such drivel. I watched other people have it easier and thought, “that’s life…some people have it better, some people have it worse”. Instead of wallowing in that situation, I got busy focusing on improving my life…not being fixated about other’s place in the race being due to whatever pair of sex chromosomes they have or their body’s melanin production.
“And honestly, if you think I’m in some way claiming America is the greatest, you clearly have not been following along as long as you claim.”
Never did I write as you claim, but your page, your words. I provided examples with data from government sites of the respective countries countering your allegation of greater privilege existing in the US. You openly disparage an entire group of the population of a country as being naive due to an alleged privilege. I countered that the naivety might be due more to mentality & priority instead of due to an alleged privilege. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were Dr. Nira Cain-N’Degeocello.
“My point is simply that by nothing more than being born where we were, we receive amazing privilege that most will never receive, not because they are unworthy, but because of where they were born.”
Then why not write simply that, and leave the race baiting behind for the trolls?
Some might receive amazing privilege that most might never receive, but that is applicable to any country and its citizens…as per the example you provide in an above reply concerning the wealthy concentration where you go on to undeservedly insult a reader concerning shutting down the border.
I don’t care what your problem is with anyone or any government. Your rudeness has resulted in losing a long time reader due to that above insult and an incredibly narrowminded approach. I very much enjoyed coming to your site–I eagerly awaited the next post to learn about what incredible beautiful things you and your family encountered…but instead, you’ve ruined it with unnecessary political nonsense and insults to a different reader who took the time to ask you about your observations.
All the best to you and yours.
“Nothing was ever handed to me, nothing was ever overlooked for me, no favors were ever provided, no hiring was given to me over someone else, no promotions were handed out, no officer ever let me go with a warning”
Keep telling that story to yourself, man.
Adiós
It is weird. My eldest son started lived in Mexico starting at 8yo. My youngest daughter, at 3yo. They both lived there for 10 years; the eldest marrying and settling down there. We moved to MN a couple years ago and both my girls (youngest 2 of 4) went to public high school in Minneapolis. He visited last year and was completely oblivious to white (male) privilege and I’m not sure he doesn’t still get it – despite having lived in MX, having only MX friends (no expat) and married to a MX woman – and I don’t exactly know why. My other son, who moved to the USA at 17 (and spent less time in MX than my eldest) gets it (and he is married to a mixed race woman FWIW). Both my girls get it and use their privilege when possible to support their friends (I’m not sure either girl has a white friend). My husband says he gets it but I think it is recent with him – it took him a long time to see.
Pat,
I have read all your books and postings over the years. I even subscribed to your tutoring for a short period too. I have silently disagreed with you on many things you have said but your opinion is yours and you have the right to it. I try to listen to people who disagree with me because what is gained if you only listen to people who say what you want to hear? I have learned from your comments and I enjoy the your insight into life around the world. I trust what you write much more than what I see on TV which is filtered for someone’s agenda.
As a flag waving American veteran I have no problem with you gushing over another country like you do. American is not perfect but anyone born here is certainly blessed or lucky depending on your point of view. American is a land of opportunity and I can’t blame people for want to to be here. For myself, I want those who come here to do so legally. Basically, if you come to my home follow my rules or you are not welcome. Don’t like the rules? Follow them anyway and when you get a vote you can use it to change the rules.
I still work for a living every day from the sailboat my wife and I call home. We did the “normal” buy a house, have kids and work your way up the corporate ladder thing and found it unsatisfying. So while we are still young enough to do so (61 yo) we sold the house, practically filled up a Goodwill store by ourselves and bought a boat. While I worked in the concrete jungle I read your posts and books where I found a hope for something different, not better… but better for us.
I have enjoyed watching your family mature and appreciate watching your kids grow up. I want to say ‘Thank You’ to you and Ali not only the educational and entertainment value you freely provide but also for showing what can be done if someone is willing to take a risk, take responsibility and step outside the norm.
If we ever meet I hope you will let me buy you a beer but for now from the middle of the Peace River in Florida my wife and I say thank you!
Warren Buffet’s take on being born in the USA, which he feels was like “winning the DNA lottery”-Buffett calculates the probability of him being born as a male, in the United States, during the 1930s, as contributing largely to his success.
IMHO he’s referring to the opportunities available in the states that simply do not exist elsewhere-that’s why all those Guatemalans are trying to enter the US! The American dream may seem tarnished to some but for them it still shines brightly.
As for shutting down the border? My grandmother emigrated from Italy in the early 1900’s, along with a wave of immigrants seeking to escape crushing poverty & political turmoil. She believed the words on the Statue of Liberty were a direct invitation to her & all other immigrants:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
May it remain ever so!
I’ve been wondering for quite some time when someone would open up that divisive can of worms???
I’m always gushing to people about how cheap everything is in Mexico, so I totally get it. When I get groceries, go to the movies and have my laundry done for me for a fraction of what it cost anywhere in the States, the UK or Europe – which is where I go when I’m not in Mexico – it’s hard not to keep making the comparisons. It’s hard to even say which I love best, because fluff and fold is sooo convenient.
But I was so happy, when watching previews before a movie in the States a couple of months ago, to find out how many movies were coming out this summer that I wanted to see. Knowing that I would be in Mexico and could watch them all for about $2.50 a ticket was such a relief. Even in Vegas, they’re at least $8 or $9 for a weekday matinee. In New York or London, it’s like $13 or $15. I mean, I’ll still go, if it’s something I really want to see. But, in Mexico, the bar is much lower, lol. It’s not a big deal if it turns out to be a clunker.
There are certainly problems here in Mexico. And God knows, the US, UK and France are in upheaval, as well. I’ve learned that I can’t dwell on it all too long bc I can’t solve the world’s problems singlehandedly. I try to be as mindful as I can of the impact I have, or can have, in the places I go and try to make it as positive as possible. And I vote absentee from wherever I am, to try and make my country a place I will be happier to return to than I am to live in it at the moment. We do what we can…
But I’m glad to see that the part of Guatemala you’re visiting is turning out to be so enjoyable for your family. It’s also very useful information for those of us who might find ourselves wandering that way at any given time. And, as always, great photos and interesting stories. So, gush all you like.
Hello guys! I’ve just found you (from Germany) and happily enjoying even the oldest texts since a week. We also have two kids (5 and 2,5) and they are great travel mates since birth. But we are more like a Germany-based family that travels whenever some free-time approaches to us 🙂 Anyways, just wanted to say hello and keep on going!
Whew. I didn’t think I’d see trolls here.
There is another bigger problem that continues to grow there because of a weak police force and central government…. Mexican cartels have migrated south and are now trafficking strongly through Central America because of the the US border strengthening and the Mexican cartel crackdown. They have moved south in Mexico into areas that were never tainted much by that evil…southern Oaxaca, southern Yucatan. It’s like water…..you plug one hole and it finds a way around.
As for the poverty, that is one reason I do not barter in Mexico or Costa when buying from locals. They set their price, and if I want it I pay it. They work hard for their money and sure don’t need white privileged folks getting goods for nothing. I think that’s called fair trade and I try and honor it, not just at Whole Foods buying my coffee.
Hi guys, Thanks for the camera info, you always take such great photos. I may take the plunge on that Sony… Pat, I get what you were saying and am kind of stunned by the bizarre exchange of google numbers guy. I’ve been a reader of yours since before the kids were born and enjoy the real, unfiltered journey and perspective you offer. Landlocked in AZ
I agree…JiveTalkinFOOL should lay off the koolaid. The stats (if they are true) were interesting but not particularly surprising.
I’ve been a part of the life of an extended family in the highlands for 19 years and counting and understand intimately the struggles the indigenous families face. Many of their struggles are caused by being held down by the Ladinos (Hispanic origin people) which very much looks like the racism we encounter here in the US and is just a more subtle form of the Guatemalan civil war which ended a very few years before I started spending time there.
I look forward to your travels in the highlands. Ouest and Lowe are receiving an incredible education and it will be fun to see what contributions they make as adults.
@JiveTalkinFool wrote, “…couldn’t find reliable numbers for the percentage of the 132,328,035 citizens in Mexico [who have active passports]”. I can think of two little Mexicans, for sure, who have active Mexican passports – Ouest and Lowe! (If he really has been a longtime reader, he’ll get that.)
TJ
Bill Bonner, founder of “International Living,” recounts an interesting story about someone attending an IL event:
“I remember hearing about one man at one of our conferences who was very upset with the direction of America… and particularly about the number of Mexicans who were immigrating to the U.S.
“He claimed they were ruining the country. He was counting on Donald Trump to build a wall and stop them. This was the time of the election in 2016. And he said that if Hillary Clinton were elected, he would leave the country.
“ ‘Where will you go?’ someone asked.
“ ‘To Mexico,’ he replied, not even noticing the irony of it.
“He said he’d been reading International Living… and Mexico sounded pretty good to him.”
Taken without permission from Bill Bonner’s Diary of 19 July 2019, at the following link:
https://bonnerandpartners.com/our-speech-from-ireland/
TJ
Looks like it may be a place to settle into, later in life.
Check out the reviews on the new Sony a7R IV
It’s not much larger than the RX100, yet it’s full frame
with 61MP.
gush on…and the lens that you have provided for your children WILL benefit them greatly as life experiences expand. goodonyas! AND people are pretty awesome, often messy but awesome none the less. go get’m tigers.
I’ve stayed out of the fray for a long time (years). I enjoy reading your blog. Your experiences and pictures are above par for me. It’s obvious that @jivetalkingfool can’t see the forest for the trees. His experience in the US was one of hardship. That’s the problem when talking in generalities. There are always exceptions.
The Bumfuzzle family travels the world living off the proceeds Pat makes using his experience and savvy about the stock market. He’s turned it into a business helping others do the same. You frequently express your disdain of the US lifestyle, yet you make money buying and selling the stock of corporations. What do you contribute? Are you building something? Are you creatively developing new technology. Does you job allow you to help people. Do you volunteer? Not that I have seen. You just make money. Yeah, lots of people do that but quit trash talking the US and maybe lend a hand and volunteer to help some of the poor people you see in your travels.
Yes you have, good job, Diane! But I bet you have wanted to. https://www.bumfuzzle.com/day-of-the-dead/
All those same questions can be asked of you. As you know, living full-time aboard and traveling by boat for years is exhausting in itself. Everything takes days longer than it should — laundry, boat jobs, groceries (all without a car)… Plus raising two young children and teaching them everything they need to know. Weather, routes, family issues back home, sickness, life. At the moment we don’t feel we have a free moment to volunteer ourselves, yes sad but true. Are we contributing? I hope so, showing people that traveling with kids is very rewarding, that life by boat can be their life, that memories are worth more than another big screen tv. Creatively developing new technology?? Um no. Yes we just make money…so much different than what was said when we were trust fund kids. Ugh.
No need to defend your choice of lifestyle or Pat’s personal opinions! I wonder why folks are so defensive of their own choices that they must criticize yours? For myself I believe you make a major contribution to all your readers with your example of living a joyful life without a lot of STUFF! Pat’s critique of consumerism is one we should all think seriously about, for the future of our planet! Go on & have some fun & ignore the nay-sayers!
I’m very late to the party, but Bums, you DO give back and volunteer. I’ve seen your kids clean up the beaches (because you are teaching them about the environment). You have made the lives of stray animals you’ve encountered better by sponsoring vetting/spays/neuters. There have been mentions of helping out the disadvantaged on occasion. I would imagine that you are not recording all of that lest it look like you are patting yourselves on the back. Ouest and Lowe have learned empathy for others and sacrifice from watching you and will no doubt bless the lives of others, as you have done. Don’t sell yourselves short.
I have been following your blog since before your kids were even born but always stayed tuned from the background. I’ve never commented before, but I feel that this is a good time to speak up. It has forever angered me how you frequently trash the United States and the American lifestyle. And also about how you talk poorly about cops and all their rules. Not every man who is born white is privileged in the United States. There are people of all demographics here. Some are very under privileged. You copied and pasted Jivetalkingfool’s comment about his hardships and basically told him to go ahead and keep telling his story. You don’t know what kind of past he has had. Maybe he was being honest. Don’t invalidate him
Second, you have lived a privileged life in the United States. Your career in stocks in the United States is what allowed you to be able to live the lifestyle that you live. Not everyone is as lucky. How can you bash a country that made it possible for you for you to be able to afford living the life that you love living?
I really enjoy reading your posts and seeing the pictures of your experiences. But PLEASE stop bashing the United States. You don’t have to be proud to be an American, but let those of us who are proud, be proud without you frequently putting down our great country. It’s very insulting. It’s never a good idea to talk about politics when everyone has their own opinion. It’s bound to cause arguments.
It takes a patriot to criticize his country; America has a long tradition of celebrating dissent. Pat and his family don’t have to volunteer, donate, build, create, kowtow to commenters, or do anything else to speak his mind-it’s his right.
Being privileged doesn’t mean that you won’t get arrested, get stuck in a shit job, or generally have tough life. It just means that you belong to a group of people that, on average, has it easier than those around them. If you don’t see how being born a white male in the US gives makes life easier than if you were born as a native in Guatemala, or a black kid in Detroit, I just don’t know what to say.
Well put, Mr. PoP . . . very well put.
TJ
Bumfuzzle appears to be a blog–offered free of charge, by the way–and the author is entitled to an opinion. He is in no way required to comport to your worldview. If you wish to get your view out into the world, you are free to do the same.
May we copy and paste that to the bottom of each post please? 🙂
Ali, Your lifestyle is your choice. Your argument that you are too busy to volunteer though is pretty weak. Here’s what I found with at 15sec google search:
https://www.giveadayglobal.org/volunteer/guatemala/from-houses-to-homes/
You could spend a day and expose your kids to another side of life.
This is just in response to your comment however. Contribute, don’t contribute, I don’t care, but if you’re not willing to be part of the solution, stop complaining.
Again, do YOU volunteer, Diane? I’m sure you do, that is why you keep bringing it up? I’m sorry our lives are full right now, I shouldn’t have to explain myself, but you think you KNOW us. We’ve got money growing on trees, nannies, a pristine 30 year old boat, kids that love to read…
Pat, I agree with some of what you have said about white privilege and corruption in Guatamala. But the USA trying to get a handle on immigration and illegal border crossings is a different subject entirely. We need to control illegal immigration and for us to say so is not for a lack of empathy.
Diane, this blog belongs to Pat and Ali, it is their internet ‘home’ of a sorts. It’s beyond rude to enter someone’s home and try to dictate to them what they can or cannot do within their own space.
No one is forcing you to read their content.
Pat and Ali – thank you for all you share with us! Seemingly without reservation. I have been following you waaaaayyy back when I found you thru SA – grin…My dad was a salesman and I moved many times so I was always the new kid in school. I joined the Merchant Marine as a cadet and visited places and saw both the good and bad in people. I spent 8 years in the Navy traveling thru south America, and the west coast of Africa going up the congo river and have spent time on the gun line back in the day off Beriut. I have also played as a single mom (dad) while my wife was deployed (Army) raising my dau at 18 months old till she was about 6…
You both keep on doing what you are doing – and please continue to share.
Have fun!
Thank you for telling it as you see it, and sharing your adventures in the world. I read blogs to see someone else’s perspective. I’m personally not interested in a blog where the writer “blands” down their perspective in the interest of offending no-one.
…and thanks for not advertising. There’s nothing more disappointing that having ads encroach on the page while trying to read someone’s travel blog. I’m sure you could get some lucrative sponsors to fund your journeys, like most bloggers do these days. I appreciate how authentic your blog is and look forward to your postings.
Yes she is awesome! So are your boys. I enjoy seeing your family posts on FB.
Mr. Pop, can we be best friends? I like your attitude!
Pat and Ali, just a word of encouragement to you both. Thank you for allowing us to see a glimpse into your lives (and the world beyond the US) with your stories and lovely photography. Don’t ever stop!
Wow Pat, you started quite a discussion. I could not agree with you more. When I was in Guatemala I met a lot of nice intelegent people just trying to keep their kids fed. My Spanish instructor had to sell all his furniture to pay the doctor bills from when his son was sick almost died. They just had the bad luck to be born in Guatemala. I gave him a bottle of wine for their anniversary, and he told me he and his wife had never tasted wine. And then you saw tourists fighting over 5 Quetzales (at the time about 25 cents), not realising it could mean a kid gets to eat or not. I spent so little money in Guatemala I felt guilty. I left to much Doctors I met $500 to do with aw they pleased on a self organized aide-trip. They wrote me a few months later that they had bought desks and chairs for an entire school (about 50) with the money.
Although I haven’t traveled as much as you, I have been to quite a fe places. Guatemala is up at the top of nicest people, and places to visit.
PS, before I went to Guatemala, everyone said “Don’t go to Guatemala City, you will get killed”. Isn’t it a fascinating city? Thanks for the great pictures! I have never felt in danger in any South American country.
HOLY BUCKETS! This conversation is a perfect representation of the division in the US today. Pat stated that some people are lucky enough to have been born into a system in which their life is infinitely more comfortable than many others in the world and they don’t even realize it. Why does that comment bring out such a defensive response? It is true. It really doesn’t matter if Denmark citizens, or those of Finland, or anywhere else live better. The fact is that many people in the world have a much easier life than most others and we tend to take it for granted. Having lived on three continents, I can tell you that That isn’t necessarily an exclusively “white” truth, or a “male” truth, nor an “American”Truth. Would his statement have been any less true if he had said “white privileged Swedish males” ? Nope. So instead of ragging on Pat for stating the truth….realize and acknowledge how lucky you might be and consider how you might be able to help those don’t have it so easy.
I think Quest and Lowe are lucky to be the the enviable position of being
‘Multicultural”. My children were lucky enough to spend a couple months a year in Ecuador when they were children. They both live in the US now but are able to appreciate the good parts of BOTH cultures. They love the conveniences of living here but have profound respect for the simple love and family emphasis of the Latin culture.
Pat and Ali…. keep doing what you’re doing.