There are only four people in my training group that are from the South. Two from North Carolina, one from Mississippi and then there is the true Southerner...the girl from Alabama. We did have a guy from Tennessee but he went home early to propose to his girlfriend. Yep. He's Southern. Anyway, so here I am the girl from Alabama (the one and only Bama volunteer in Guatemala), getting packages from her mom every week, constantly talking about Auburn football and putting on the heavy Southern drawl for all the Yanks down here in Guate. People ask me all the time what it is like to live in the South and I can't help but smile because it is nothing like their lives up North or out West. I tell them about our good country cooking, the famous sweet tea and how football is a religion. They didn't really understand why I would cry over a couple of trees or why we would "roll" them. Heck they didn't even know what "rolling" meant. A tradition is a tradition no matter how random it is. One of the other volunteers told me the other day that my accent is his favorite out of everyones. I was thinking...what accent? Even though now, as I type, the accent in my head is pretty dang thick.
Being Southern in Guatemala has its advantages. I am already familiar with a way of life where family is most important and everyone says hello on the street. People don't say no for fear of offending someone and if you stop and ask for directions they will smile and gladly point you the right way. There are chickens and cows and giant farmers markets every weekend. The weather is warm and the views are spectacular. The pace is slow because people are never in a hurry and sitting down to gossip is more important than being on time to a meeting. I feel like culture shock didn't have as much of an affect on us Southerners. Those poor Yanks might be struggling, but we are still going strong.
I am truly proud to be Southern. Our culture is so different and what we see as a normal way of life is so strange to so many others. They might not understand why we have potluck lunches every Sunday, why we sit on the front porch with a banjo and a bud light, what the term "muddin" actually means, or why the population of a college town triples on gamedays. But then again we don't always understand their way of life either. What is a drum circle? Why do they all want marijuana to be legal? What is the big deal with seafood? How have they never seen a tractor? What do they do on Sundays if they aren't at church? Of course, that doesn't apply to everyone, but it is a few of the stereotypes.
When it comes to being the girl from Alabama, I can't say that I would have it any other way. It makes me unique. I can truly say that being here in Guatemala has made me appreciate my roots and my heritage a little more. Sweet Home Alabama takes on a whole new meaning and I sing it pretty loud whenever it comes on. I have already convinced two other trainees to come and visit the South when our time here is up. I'm counting on ya'll to help me educate the Yanks and show them what Southern hospitality is all about. For the next two years, I am going to tell the Guatemalan people a little bit about the South and hopefully ya'll will learn a little bit about the Guatemalan people through my stories. This new life of mine is such an adventure and I hope all of yall back home are having as much fun as me!
There are only two words that can end a blog post like this: War Eagle!
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