I can see why they ask you so many random questions about plants and farms when you go through customs. America is the land of the free and home of the healthy - and they want to keep it that way!!
A few things I did stow in my luggage are hand made items sold by the women and children in the markets. I got a great blouse for $10, a table runner for my mom, and some doo-dads that were just too cute! It was sooo hard to resist the smiles and broken English phrases of the children poking you like little puppies, asking you to buy something, "good deal for you" or, "something for your mother?".
Precious women hunched over or carrying piles of woven goods, trying their best to make the meager seventy-five cents a day, that they live on. Corn tortillas are the staple, along with fruit they pick from their trees. Sounds rustic and cool, but everyone was malnourished and poorly dressed (by our standards).I was completely overwhelmed my first day in the market. All of us were moved to tears and sobbing; all of us had to step aside and pull ourselves together. It's not that you felt guilty for being blessed, you just couldn't believe how little it would take to make their lives different, and better.
So, I had to buy a few things early on. My last day I left all my money at the hotel so that I could truly say I had none. Lots of corruption and superstition keep the people from prosperity. Only prayer and smart thinking will circumvent the continued misuse of these wonderful, generous people. DO PRAY for Guatemala!Another thing we were warned about was being alone. It was simply not safe for an American (especially a woman) to be alone in the streets. So we were all assigned a travel partner, that we were to stay with when 'out and about'. Mine, I'm thankful to say, was a soldier and a firefighter, so I felt pretty darn safe no matter where we went. He kept an eye on me like no other, and I'm extremely thankful for that. God bless you, Brian!!
And finally, we were encouraged to play down our role as missionaries when going through customs. Harassment and unfair scrutiny were possible, especially in light of the Times Square bombing. Thankfully on my trip back into the US (Dallas), the gentleman checking my passport was kind to alert me that I'd put the wrong flight number on my re-entry papers. (two legs, the latter flight number was what they wanted). I know he thought, "this lady could never be a terrorist, she doesn't even know what flight she's on". And the fact that I tried to convince him that I was just a tourist when I was wearing my church mission team t-shirt. (was there a giant "L" stamped on my forehead??)