Two Way Culture Shock!

In the United States a camera will instantly cause most people to smile and pose for their picture. Here the people pose, but they wipe the smiles off their faces and stand solemnly. It takes a lot of encouragement to make them show their teeth. That was what Brian was trying to do when this little girl instead gave him a look of total confusion and slight terror. Culture Shock! Both for them and for us. Her look pretty much sums up how we all feel. To the local Ixil people we are wierd. Tourists don´t come all the way up to Cotzal so the only caucasian people they see are volunteers and aid workers. The people are nice, but they aren´t exactly sure what to make of us. The kids shout out GRINGO as we pass in the street, and most of them giggle and/or openly mock the way we speak Spanish. On our end, we are feeling totally out of place and are experiencing culture shock in a way we did not in Antigua. Part of our feelings of discomfort is the lack of a private sanctuary or hideaway: a place to refresh and prepare for each day in this new culture. We currently share a house with 7 other people and are never 100% free from curious eyes. But everyday is a learning experience, both for them and for us. We appreciate your prayers for us, our Cotzal neighbors and Agros villagers as we work to build relationships and trust with each other. We also appreciate prayers for a new, more private living situation.