Home town celebration

I flew back to the states for a quick tour of Los Angeles. No, I’m just joking, I went back for a wedding; I was actually in the wedding as a bridesmaid. One of my dearest friends Charlene tied the knot on March 11 to her amazing fiancé Paul. They are one of my favorite couples because they know how to have lots of fun in their relationship. Of course their wedding was filled with the same mixture of love and laughter. The only thing I wish I could have changed about the trip was the length. I hoped to stay longer than 6 days, but that wasn’t possible with Peace Corps. I have to say that I love the states; I think that being in Guatemala has given me a deeper appreciation for L.A. For example, L.A. traffic, you who live there know exactly what I’m talking about. You all hate it don’t you, I did too, until I came to Guatemala. Now if I’m in L.A. and I’m driving in traffic, I smile because I’m driving, not some drunken tired looking Guatemalan man. More importantly I can listen to my own music, not some loud raunchy Spanish song. Now I find driving in L.A. lovely and quite therapeutic.
Ok I have to say one more thing that I love about the states; trash cans. Yes I know that’s odd, but it’s true. I love the fact that you can walk into any restaurant, gas station, or store and find a trash can. In Guatemala it’s like searching for gold, they just don’t exist. I hate it because I refuse to throw trash on the ground and add to the problem and let me tell you, it’s a huge problem. There is trash everywhere, on the streets and in the busses. I mean these people have no qualms about it. It actually pains me, physically when I see people throw bottles, chicken bones and the like outside of a moving bus. I actually want to weep. So when I went to the states and didn’t have to hang on to trash for hours, I was happy. I was simply happy.