Guatemalan Entrepreneurial Spirit

I just love the entrepreneurial spirit of the Guatemalan people. It is amazing how many little vendors, shop owners, and trinket sellers that can be found in this country. For this reason, I wanted to share a little story about our wait in the bus terminal in Xela.

Yesterday, Toby and I traveled home from Xela to Quiché after a splendid visit with our friends. In the 30 minutes we waited in the terminal to depart we were harassed and offered a wide assortment of goodies, some multiple times, but none that we bought. What's really annoying is that the people often drop the things in your lap or shove it in your face to try and make a sale. At times we had 2-3 people at once selling food and merchandise. The following is a list of the number of vendors and what they sold. *This is not an exaggeration. I am a nerd and began counting vendors because of the sheer number and absurdity.

5: sodas and waters

3: peanuts

3: key chains

2: pizza

2: crackers (one lady came on twice)

2: gum

2: candy

2: toothpaste

2: random booklets for studying anything from English to medicinal plants

2: ice cream

2: pens

1: hamburgers

1: jello

1: chuchitos (Guatemalan food made with corn masa)

1: cologne

1: wallets

1: a man showing his deformed hand and asking for money

1: a man purely begging for money and saying God with bless those who give

Based on these numbers, I count more than 1 a minute jumping on the bus and trying to sell to us passengers. Although, it very well could have been more because I began counting late, and they were coming so fast it was hard to keep up. It's times like these that I just sit back with a smile on my face and say.....Ahh....Welcome to Guatemala!