I really want to express to those of you back home just how crazy our commute is on a regular basis. Like, when was the last time any of you used public transport?? I'm thinking city bus, long distance bus (like Greyhound), Amtrak, BART.... I remember the first time I took the Greyhound bus from San Luis Obispo to the Bay Area. My friend Nicole dropped me off at the Greyhound station in SLO-I wasn't aware before that day that SLO had a shady area. But indeed it does, and that area is (was-i heard that station has since been shut down) the Greyhound station. I remember we pulled up to the station and it was like, a run down one room ticket counter with bars on the windows, a mixture of white trash types and migrant workers, and me-20 year old white girl with her pet boa constrictor in her front pocket..... I remember being gripped with paranoia as the lumbering Greyhound made its way through the barrios and backroads of Central Valley California, and getting off in Santa Cruz (halfway to my intended destination) upon realizing I had a friend there that I could hitch a ride with the rest of the way.

I took the train from then on-which is actually a pleasant experience. I enjoy not having to worry about traffic, sitting in the viewing cart, sipping a few cocktails and either chatting with fellow passengers,r eading, or listening to music as I watch the California countryside slip by outside my window. If you haven't been on a train in a decade or so, I recommend taking a short trip someday. Take advantage of both the bar and your fellow Amtrak passengers-the train is a relic of past times and may not be around much longer.

Guatemalan transport-mainly "chicken buses"-is a far more efficient and affordable-if (considerably) less comfortable means of travel. It is truly impressive, in a country with so many glaring shortcomings in other arenas (politics, health, education, environment). You can decide on a destination not even knowing its relative distance or direction from your current location, stand on the side of any major highway and shout your destination out to passing buses to be picked up and carried on your way within an hour (usually less than half an hour). Oh, and it generally will cost you less than $10. I LOVE this about Guatemala.

Granted, you are traveling in less than stylish circumstances. The 'ayudante' will pack the bus to 150% capacity that it was ever intended to hold, and if you are not lucky enough to get the coveted window seat you will be plastered up against your neighbors (complete strangers generally having weight issues, hygiene issues, carsick and/or loud children on their laps), they do NOT serve beer (which i guess is a good thing since there is NO onboard bathroom nor are there bathroom stops), and on some of the windy roads (oh wait, they are ALL windy) you may be fearing for your life as the bus driver overtakes cargo carrying trucks around blind curves in the pouring rain. This ain't your grandma's bus ride.

But I'm sure hundreds of PCV's have tried to document the craziness that is third world public transit. What can I tell you that's different? I often have at least one moment that makes me smile, shake my head, and confirms that there's no place I'd rather be. Sometimes when the ayudante climbs up on top of the speeding bus to start untying someone's groceries, furniture, or (this Saturday) like 30 tires someone bought...When a song comes on my radio that goes perfectly with the pandemonium going on all around me... When I realize that I'm not just 'coping' with the ways of life here but have come to enjoy at least some of them.

And I think that maybe that is the key-that while there are things I will never enjoy or understand about Guatemala- I have come to really appreciate aspects of life here.