So what do the Philippines and Guatemala have in common?
- Well interestingly they both share a strong desire for pimpin' their rides. In Guatemala bus drivers invest their time and money in personalizing their buses; they name them after their daughters, mothers, lovers and possibly even movie stars. They even have sorround sound TV's ! its truly amazing because you will never get on the "same ol" boring bus.. they're all different! I've never been to the Philippines BUT the bus above resembles the Guatemalan chicken bus and it even has a feminine name. There are other similarities in culture and politics that both states also resemble. For instance, when writting my undergrad thesis on the political relationship between Israel and Guatemala, Philippines popped up in my research. Cheryl Rubenberg, a Middle East researcher, states that Israel aided both countries in providing arms for counterinsurgency. This goes to show my strong conviction that everything is intertwined in this world and we are all NOT so different as we tend to believe.
Today in the Bus I overheard a VERY interesting conversation between two hardworking men. A Guatemalan and a Philipino. I saw it as an amazing exchange of ideas and culture between the two . Back in their country they probably never thought they would meet each other. I applied my make-up and through my compact mirror I could see their expressions- I guess I was being nosey! :p
They talked about work.
The Guatemalan gentleman looked like he was in his early 50s, he explained to the other his unsatisfaction with the current job situation- as he is a costurero which means he works in the garment district here in Downtown Los Angeles. He gets paid $40 for 5 hours that is $120 p/week!! How does he survive? He is moving to Alabama to work for "los pollos" he explained. I think he was talking about Alabama poultry farms- I learned something new. There he is expected to peel 40 chickens p/ minute!!!! He actually sounded enthused about the $1000 he would be making.
Having been in rural villages of Guatemala and working with women I can finally say I have met the pahantom husband and father they speak of. Many (many) women are left to care for their households while the men make their way to the U.S. In 2009 I worked in Totonicapan and I saw the HUGE homes with plumbing and other "commodities" I asked where their husbands worked and sure enough they were in California, New York, Virginia.. etc. at the moment the "man" they spoke of became a strong but invisible presence- like some sort of phantom husband.
I'm on the other end now and understand them more than they think.
The Philippino gentleman (in Spanish) kept on asking questions about his job, family and country. Twenty minutes later they said their good-byes and hoped to see each other the next day :)
The Bus ride was over, but the stories continue
here are some more creative ones : http://www.flickr.com/photos/28495615@N02/5371220368/
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