The Phoenix Rose Show

S1E9: Patriarchy, Femicide & The Bank

S1E9: Patriarchy, Femicide & The Bank
(Guatemala)
Summary
This episode of The Phoenix Rose Show podcast talks about heavy and mature topics, such as the patriarchy, violence, and crimes against women. The host shares her personal experience with being told she needed her husband's permission to open a bank account in Guatemala. She also shares statistics about femicide and violence against women in Guatemala and the US and discusses the need for change and improvement in this area.
In an analysis of the culture of Guatemala, it is described as a stringent and patriarchal society where traditional gender roles are strictly enforced and there is pressure to conform to societal expectations. This can lead to mental health issues and high suicide rates for both men and women. The US and other first world countries have made progress toward equality and egalitarian societies. A report by DW states that fewer than 3% of sexual offenders are caught and punished in Guatemala, contributing to a culture of impunity. The World Bank has recognized young and marginalized groups, such as indigenous women and LGBTQ+ individuals, are at high risk for facing discrimination and violence. Various initiatives and policies have been implemented by the government and civil society organizations, but there is still a lot of work to be done to address the root causes of these issues. 
 Transcription (ai transcription of show)
 <Listener discretion is advised. Today's episode may contain references to, or jokes made about topics that may not be appropriate for younger or, quite frankly, more sensible audiences. There will almost certainly be dreadfully mispronounced words, some bad editing, and at least one terrible impression. Welcome to the show.>
I was shocked when the bank manager told me I needed my husband's permission to open a bank account. Hi, I'm Phoenix Rose, and today we are talking about this. We're also taking a look at the patriarchy and the consequences of that. We are talking about crimes against women and violence. This is definitely an episode for mature audiences. Welcome to the Phoenix Rose Show.
<From the mountains to the seas. Stories whispered on every breeze. With Phoenix Rose. Ancient lands life families Humor truth fails Victories with Phoenix Rose. Phoenix Rose. Welcome to the Phoenix Rose show. Let's go. Welcome to the Phoenix Rose Show. Welcome to the show. Come on, let's go, let's go.>
 
Hi there. Welcome back. I am so glad that you are here. I'm so glad that I'm here. I'm happy to be doing this. I want to give a quick welcome to the, I don't know, 5 or 6 people who accidentally wandered in here, I think from social media. Thanks for stopping in. You. You did pick a doozy of an episode to start listening to. This one's a little bit heavy, a little bit dark, but I'm glad that you're here. Welcome. You know what? If you are one of the new listeners today, go ahead and drop your social in the comments or DM me and I'll check out your content and return the support. I think it's cool that you're here. Anyway, I'm Phoenix, but you probably already knew that, so let's get on with the show. So yeah, you heard correctly. I was told by the gerente the manager of the bank that I need my husband's permission to open a bank account, and that sounds like a joke, right? Like, I could say a priest, a rabbi and a horse walk into a bank. Like it sounds like a joke. I don't know, I can't even come up with a punchline. Let me see. I'll have holy water or kosher wine. I'm feeling a little hoarse free pens loan application. That's awesome. Hey. Yeah, I got nothing. Sounds like a setup, but there's no punch line there. And it's not like this was the 1950s or something. It was it this year here. And to make it even better, it's a bank we already have accounts with. I mean, not me they're in my husband's name, but still they should count as our accounts. We're married in the US. I get half of everything. Now, being a grown up and somewhat responsible adult that I am, I have been the proud owner of bank accounts in the United States. Checking and savings. Just saying. I know that sounds impressive. Not only that, but I have credit cards that I share with my spouse and they even have my name on them and I can even use them when he isn't with me. I know, crazy, right? But wait, there is more. I even have my own credit cards that are just mine. Just my name on them. I don't have to share them with anyone you know, in case I need to buy something pretty, right? back to the bank, though. Pardon? Pardon me. I need my husband's permission to do what now? Are you joking? Estás bromeando? My standard issue is. You know what? My Spanish isn't all that great. I must have misunderstood. But it wasn't a joke. It I didn't misunderstand. I was told that I could not open a bank account without either permission from my husband or a death notice. Oh, there it is. There's the punchline. It's a little too dark and not really that funny, though. I mean, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Now, they could have said, you know what? No, you aren't a resident yet. So therefore no. Or you don't have your electric bill. That's how you have to prove where you live. Because we don't have addresses here. Hell, they could have said, you know what you look like, my dear aunt Sally and I never really got along with her stupid reason, but whatever. At least it's a reason. But now you need to ask my husband if I'm allowed. What in the ever loving. You know what? No thank you. Good day. I will take my $28. I will take that $28 elsewhere. If I had been wearing a fur stole, I swear I would have swung it over my shoulder, flipped my hair, popped my nose in the air, and stood tall while I briskly walked out of the office. But honestly, without a stole or even a scarf, it just sort of looked stupid. So. I just did my best to look like a normal human being as I left the bank, but not even really knowing how to feel. Like frustrated. Angry. Embarrassed. Like, why does everything have to be so just ugh? All I need is a Guatemalan debit card. You know, again, for those pretty things. But this. This is a patriarchy where men control a disproportionately large scale or share a large share of social, economic, political, even religious power. In fact, they control almost all of it. This is society is set up by men for men like like the original Fubu. Men are privileged and women are oppressed. Men are leaders and women are homemakers. Men make decisions and women make babies. Men are in positions of authority and women are in positions. That's column. Let's call them domestic positions. But men control the resources and women control the children. The guys are in charge of things. The businesses, homes, farms almost exclusively owned by men. Government leadership positions. I mean, there's been. There's been a little bit of improvement there, but still. Yet it's the men. These guys are supposed to take charge, handle the money, be manly and macho, and in some circles drink lots of beer and sleep around, especially with much younger women. It's the culture. It's the the system. It's in the music, the arts, the government, everything. And I know, I mean, like, sure, who doesn't love a manly man? That's how the species has evolved, right? The survival of the fittest. In a world where only the strongest survive, a man needed to be aggressive and strong and dominant. Manly, at least if they wanted to compete for resources, attract and compete for a mate, reproduce with said mate, and then provide an protect for let me and the new smaller humans they made. That was the world in which they lived. And we wouldn't be here now without them. I don't want to get mad about that. That's. Maybe that's how they're hardwired to be. Even though it has been more than a minute since anyone has had to hunt a mastodon or outrun a saber tooth to survive. But yeah, the weak ones were killed off or just died. Here's the thing, though. With the patriarchal society now, it isn't just that the men are raised up. It's that the women are pushed down. Obviously not always, not a blanket statement. Don't come at me. But so frequently, the domestic abuse against women here is unbelievable. This is not. This is not in any way exclusive to Guatemala. But the abuse is usually by a domestic partner or a close family member. And it has become so awful. So terrible. The police, the investigators, the prosecutors can't even pretend to begin to be able to keep up with the allegations, the investigations, the criminal proceedings. They are so incredibly overwhelmed, in fact, that they have an entire special division specifically to prevent and investigate crimes against women. This special prosecutor for crimes against women is the name of a. Public and private dollars have been spent to put up billboards to tell people that they should not kill women. You heard me correctly. That's what I said. I am not being sarcastic. I'm not meaning to sound insensitive when I say this, but Jesus, doesn't that sound like one of those things that you shouldn't actually have to say in Guatemala is not the worst patriarchy. It's bad, but nowhere near the worst. Okay, these things could just be opinions. Hyperbole. How do you define what's worse? Let's. What is that expression like? Math doesn't lie or numbers don't lie. Let's take a look at a couple things here, just to try to keep the apples with the apples. Guatemala has a population of approximately 17 to 18 million people, depending on what source you use. No one really knows for sure, but one of the highest rates of femicide in the world. Just for reference, that population is somewhere between the populations of about Pennsylvania and New York. Size wise, the country is about 42,000mi². About the same as Tennessee. Let me share some more numbers with you. In 2021, there were 527 Femicides reported in Guatemala. According to world Bank 527, during that same year, there were 77 zero Femicides reported in Pennsylvania population, just a little bit less than that of Guatemala. And in New York, with a population with a little more than Guatemala, there were 146 reported. Now, if all of those numbers were one, of course that would be too many. But I'm just trying to include other areas just to help keep these numbers in perspective from an American perspective. New York approximately 4554 54,000mi². And what is this say? Pennsylvania is approximately 46,000mi². They're both bigger than Guatemala by the by the size as well. So let's look at the 2022 534 reported in Guatemala and 62 in Pennsylvania. But there's some good news. Crime numbers overall in Guatemala and the US approved in 2022. I know they sound unbelievable. The information that I have for 2023 is incomplete, but does show a little bit above a positive trend, as in a reduction in the numbers of murders of women, at least for the first half of the year, and in particular, a reduction in the number of incidents in urban and very urban areas. In the first half of 2023. There were air quotes here, only 179 homicides of women reported. That's according to Info Segura. In 2021, there were over 20,000 complaints of violence against women. Including nearly 3000 rapes reported and who even knows what isn't reported? These numbers are unbelievable. 3000 20,527. And each of these numbers is a person, a person, a mother, daughter, sister, wife, friend, grandmother, aunt, a person. And to be quite honest, when I hear numbers like that, I can't even imagine that many people. What does 3000 people even look like? What does 20,000 people look like? I can't picture that many people. Let's continue though. According to a report by DW and I'm going to quote this, I'm quoting fewer than 3% of sexual offenders end up behind bars, contributing to a culture of impunity. End quote. 80% 312 3%. Unfucking believable. World Bank lifts high risk groups facing, quote, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, including young and adolescent girls, indigenous women, girls and teens who have become pregnant, early marriages, women and girls living with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ groups. That is a huge number of people. They go on to say that various initiatives and policies have been implemented by the government and civil society organizations in order to address violence and discrimination against women and girls in Guatemala. But there's still a lot of work left to do to, quote, address the root causes of these issues and ensure the safety and well-being of all women and girls in the country. That, again, was from rogue Bank. Part of those initiatives are that groups are taking measures to educate girls and women. Now, I was invited to speak at a community meeting in a village with a translator, of course, sort of a celebrity gringa, just for being American. And there. Not because of anything especially noteworthy that I had accomplished in this area, but this meeting was specifically for women, and I was asked to speak to a younger group of pre-teens and teens. Give them, give them life advice, dating advice. And I was certain that there had been a translation issue because, wow, do you have the wrong person to be giving that kind of advice? And they came back to me and said, no, we know this is a very vulnerable group here, and we want them to know that they could have a future like American women do. We want them to know that they could have options. They'll listen to you because you are American. Oh, well, now I see it makes sense. Clearly, you've already asked everyone else to, you know, and still have us that you need filled. Yeah. I'm American and also twice stage of some of these girls and I speak another language and I have done everything the hard way, the wrong way. Made just about every dangerous and stupid decision I could have possibly made in my life. I had to figure it out on my own and figure it out the hard way. And how do I even know what their options are? But what do you say out loud? I mean, so of course I graciously accepted. Honored to have been asked and hoping to not screw it up. I had about a week to prepare. I talked to a local friend about the panel and tried to get context. You know, what were they really asking for so I could try to prepare something intelligent and hopefully relatable and fill the time they gave me. I mean, it all made sense, but it also kind of felt like trying to start a revolution. But from the outside, they wanted another face, another voice trying to help keep these women from just accepting the violence in their lives. Okay, I got it. I'm ready. I want these girls to know that they are. You know they are the future. You. You are the light that will guide Guatemala to a brighter future. That your path is unique and your potential is limitless. Your education is your key to unlocking endless possibilities. You need to stay in school. Do whatever you can to stay in school. Finish your classes and make the most of every opportunity you are given. Education empowers you to make informed decisions so that you can build the life you envision, and to pursue your passions with confidence. Your worth is not defined by the attention of boys or the promises they make. You are valuable beyond measure and you deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. Choose relationships that uplift and support you, not ones that bring you down. If someone mistreats you now, it will only get worse over time. Listen to these words. If someone mistreats you now, it will only get worse over time. Violence in any form is never acceptable. No one has the right to hit, intimidate, threaten or violate you. Your safety and well-being are paramount. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are being mistreated. Know that you have the right to seek help and support. Stay true to your dreams and make choices that honor your heart. Whether you dream of being a nurturing mother, a successful businesswoman, or a trailblazer in any field, that choice is yours to make. You have your own mind, your own goals, values of faith. You must protect them from negative influences. You have to believe in yourself, for you are capable of achieving greatness. You. Her journey will be challenging, but it will be filled with opportunities to grow and learn and shine. With all my heart, I encourage you to pursue your dreams. Seek respect and partnership in your relationship. If relationship is what you want. After the salmon return. Dan tol, stay strong and never forget your worth. Because you are the light that will guide the world to a brighter future. In these curlies, they need to know that they need to believe that. And I know it isn't just these girls. So many girls. I don't know who else needs to hear that today. But that message is for you. My situation is a little bit different, a little bit unique because I am an American in Guatemala and not in the city of Guatemala. The city of Guatemala is like a completely different world. There is modern technology and industry, and there are women who are doctors and lawyers and have access to so much more in the city. It's so much more modern. And there are career women and women who are driving and owning things, and it's just more, more accepted. In the rural and very rural areas of Guatemala. It is a completely different world. Now, I'm not saying women can't to drive. I'm not making any comments about women driving or not, but women. There are way more, way, way more male drivers than female drivers. Women only started driving here in any significant numbers in the 90s. That's a story for another day. The big thing for me, they can tell me whatever they want to because I am not a resident of this country. But for what about for a Guatemalan woman? What are their rules? Are they supposed to have their husbands permission open bank account? Well it depends. There is not a law that says anything about preventing women from opening bank accounts. However, a bank can make their own rules and they can be inconsistent with the enforcement of those rules. Even though there isn't a law that says women can't open a bank account without a man. There isn't one that specifically says she can. And the banks can say whether she can or can't. And they don't have to be consistent. And depending on the situation. And that same person can go to five different banks and get five different answers. In fact, you can go to two different branches of the same bank on the same day and get two different answers. It's just bizarre. And because I'm the way I am, I had to find out what the history was in the US on women in banking. It wasn't until the 70s that women specifically had the right to to bank without their husbands signatures. This equal credit opportunity Act. The 70s. Back to Guatemala, though. Women owning land. What about owning things that land women are legally allowed to. Here's what the law says. Quote, access and own land. I'm not sure why it's worded that way. But men, the men who control the land, they control the land. They're not giving it up. Indigenous women owned even less land than the Latino women, which is most of the rest of the Guatemalan people. As part of a study, they found that families headed by solely women think, you know, single moms were particularly susceptible to poverty. No surprise there. And even more in indigenous communities. Again, no surprise. How about business? Women are legally allowed to own businesses. There are female owned businesses, not as many and not as many informal in the formal employment numbers. That's also a Guatemalan thing. I just saw something like two days ago on the news, saying that over half of the country is is outside of the formal employment market. So by that, they're seeing over half of the country is basically off of the government books. They are doing cash jobs, like maybe housekeepers, um, working in a restaurant for cash. They're not getting a paycheck. And the female owned businesses in the they're in traditionally female businesses. Interestingly female fields cooking cleaning hairstylists. And again this is a world outside of Guatemala City. These are the rural areas. But these women, even if they are getting jobs, they are opening businesses. They are certainly not breaking out of gender stereotypes. It's much harder for them to access capital. And you can imagine how much fun it can be to work with some of the banks and other lenders. What about the guys? I know to some it's going to sound like I'm just here to attack men and dismantle the system and burn my bra. I mean, hardly considering the cost of a quality bra, but our men just loving their life of privilege and perfection. Some of them, no doubt. All of them. No way. There are a lot of things that make life more difficult for men in these patriarchal societies. And rules, rules that they have to follow. Now, some of it is causation, some of it is correlation. But it all goes together, right? Don't show emotions, don't show vulnerability. You got to be tough and strong and all of these other types of gender stereotypes, but they're expected to conform to traditional male and masculine roles. Be the breadwinner. Don't let people see you enjoying time with your kids, your family. Do you really think that there aren't guys who would love to spend the day taking care of kids at home while their wife goes to work, and wives who would love that arrangement as well? But you can't. It is not tolerated here. A man who wants to so design clothing. Awesome men can be creative. Why couldn't they here? Um, if you are a man and you're caught near a sewing machine, you will be absolutely shredded. Because that is women's work. That is something. No, you can imagine the the words that they come up with for things like that. You know when they have to deal with the stress, this fierce dissatisfaction with job, life, personal professional choices, their choices and freedoms are limited by a patriarchal society too. Now it's all relative, right? This is absolutely not the same way that women are affected by the patriarchal society. I just want to point out that it isn't, you know, sunshine and unicorn and, you know, lollipops for all of the men either. There's so much stigma around mental stepping outside of what's expected for them. Do you know, men in patriarchal societies have higher suicide rates? And what are some of the most patriarchal countries? Um, Yemen, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran? See Somalia, Syria, Sudan. You do not have to know much at all about world affairs to know that there are some serious issues in those countries. Definitely worse than what I'm even addressing here today, right? But is any system that contributes to the murder of women or the suicide of men? Who is that benefiting? Guatemala is definitely a patriarchy. And I think most people who are being honest with themselves would argue that the US still is as well. Where do you come down on that? What about countries like the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan? Fruits? Have any of these first world countries, even though there has been definitely progress toward equality? Have they really moved beyond patriarchy? And there's so much more to this political, economic, historical factors. Is there is there an upside to it? Will we ever be able to move past this? I don't, I don't know. There are a lot of things here that I imagine are kind of like living in a twisted version of the 40s and 50s in the US, the technology, lifestyles, perspectives, and this patriarchy. No, I didn't experience that firsthand. So I don't know. Was a man's manly reputation this important? If you're a woman, married to a man, was every single thing that you did or said somehow a reflection on your husband and almost forgive me for using this, this language, but it's almost like how well you were trained. It's only for the women. The husband in that situation is never expected to answer to that woman. Now, we have been through a lot of different things since moving here, and I am absolutely expected to behave certain ways in public. Can we use that when my leg is 24 seven? No. Who do I live in? The twisted 50s sometimes. Yes, absolutely. In my home, it's different. So beyond the. Beyond my issues with the bank and. The and the the industry, economy, all of those things. Just at the most basic level. You've heard the phrase is some sort of version of the phrase, telling someone they're ugly doesn't make you prettier, or tearing others down won't build you up, or hurting others will heal your wounds. There are so many different ways of seeing that same expressing that same idea. And, you know, sometimes. Absolutely. I do joke around and say silly things, but today has definitely been a more serious day. No matter what the situation is, I don't think that any one group, any, any gender, race, religion should have to be put down for any other group to be raised up. And I know some people will be like, well, you know, your entire entire episode was about how awful men are. No, no, not at all. Then you weren't listening? Nope. Any criticism that I have is for a system that is inherently unfair, corrupt, dishonest for people who are harming or killing others. Especially especially people who are already more vulnerable. For people who act more like wild animals than human beings with souls and a conscience, the people who intentionally cause pain and suffering for others, the people who rob their victims of their innocence, their future, their faith in humanity, their home, their country, the people who, when they could have just as easily helped their neighbor up, push them down instead. I don't think those people cannot be put into any one category like gender, race, religion. My point is. Men don't have to be pushed down to raise up women. Women don't have to be pushed down to raise up men. Stronger men and stronger women working together make stronger families, stronger societies, stronger futures. And I know I'm excluding a lot of people just talking about traditional male female relationships. You know what, though? That's really all that's tolerated here, like those other patriarchal countries that I listed. Anything that deviates from the traditional one man, one woman union is not tolerated. I hope that that especially with all of this access to information and social media, globalization, everything going on. I really hope that we are teaching people, our kids, our daughters to expect more, to demand better. And that's less than that. It's just not going to be accepted, not going to be tolerated. I know for a fact some people are doing that. Some people are already on top of that and making sure that their kids have that message. And I am so proud of the people making those changes of the people who are demanding better, the people who are making sure that that the next generation is better informed, better educated. That is absolutely amazing. Is please be aware you do not do not accept violence and intimidation in your life. Reach out to someone somewhere. It only. It only gets worse later. And you? You are more. You are better. And you know what? I don't care if you're man, woman or something. Violence happens against everyone, unfortunately, and it's absolutely okay to reach out and ask for help. And I encourage you to do that. You guys, I thank you for being here today. I know this was longer than usual and more serious than usual, but thank you so much for being here. If you have questions about this episode about life in Guatemala, please reach out. You can you can message from whatever podcast app you're listening on. You can email me. Phoenix at the Phoenix Rose show. If you have an experience that you want to share, reach out. Share that with me. Thank you in advance for doing all of those magic social media things so that I can blow up and be awesome and help more people. Seriously, thanks guys for being here. Join me next time and have a great day. Have a super fantastic day. Make good choices.
<Thanks So much. Thanks so much for so much. You're awesome. Yes you are.>
 
 
 

PREVIEW: Patriarchy, Femicide & The Bank

THE BANK SAID I COULDN'T OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITHOUT MY HUSBAND'S PERMISSION! JUST THIS YEAR!
PREVIEW!
Phoenix Rose discusses patriarchy, femicide, and her experience when the bank told her that she couldn't have a bank account without her husband's permission! In 2024! Don't miss this week's episode of The Phoenix Rose Show, Tuesday morning, right here or wherever you listen to podcasts. Listener discretion advised. 

S1E8: Bananas, War & Immigration... Without Politics

S1E8: War, Bananas & Immigration... without politics!
Summary
 In this podcast episode, the host discusses the fascination and obsession that many Guatemalans have with American culture and lifestyle. She shares her own experiences with being seen as a celebrity or having an entourage simply for being American. The host also touches on the influence of social media and globalization on fashion and trends, and how the desire to emulate American style and brands can symbolize status and success. She ends by contemplating the genuine interest that some may have in something that is just different from what Phoenix shares her experience living in Guatemala and talks about the struggles the country faces due to its violent history, economic inequality, lack of social safety net, and political corruption. She also discusses the immigration crisis and why some people risk everything to make the dangerous journey to the United States. She encourages listeners to spread awareness and understanding and invites them to share their own experiences and perspectives. Guatemala and the United States have a complicated history, with the US interfering in Guatemalan affairs and causing harm to the indigenous Maya people. This includes garnering support for a coup in the 1950s and later supporting a 36-year long civil war. The US is also seen as responsible for the poverty and violence in Guatemala, as well as the struggles of Guatemalan migrants trying to enter the US. This is a complex and controversial topic, and this episode barely scratches the surface, but attempts to represent perspectives from both sides in a fair and informed manner.
 Transcription (AIGEN)
 Are you in the mood for a little controversy, chaos and culture today?
Perfect.
I'm Phoenix Rose and today's episode has all of that and more. We are going to try and discuss both sides of illegal immigration. I know we're just touching on it. We're also talking about bananas, war, and the love hate relationship between Guatemala and America. Is it jealousy? Is it well-earned hostility? Is it just the US poking its nose in other people's business? Yep. I'm going there and we might not end up where you're predicting. Today's episode is a trip.
Hi there. Welcome. Bienvenido. I am so happy that you are here. I'm so happy to be here. Before we jump in, just a quick note the listener discretion warning in the intro is obviously meant to be a little bit humorous, but today's episode does cover some mature, graphic, and controversial topics, so if you're not prepared to hear about these subjects, I kindly ask you to pause and join us for the next episode. Thank you for understanding.
So last week I signed off with that discussion with Fawn with a promise of controversy. And I assure you, we have plenty of that to go around today. But first, I want to start off by thanking Fawn again for being my guest. I always enjoy our time together, but that was just so fun setting up the mics and headphones and just hanging out. So again, thank you so much Fawn. That was, we got to do that again. It was great.
For now, on with the controversy, starting with a few questions, just to kind of put them in the back of your mind. Have you ever had your own fan club or entourage, people who just follow you around just because you're cool or popular or like a celebrity? Can you imagine risking your life, your freedom, even being sold into different types of slavery to get into another country? And last question, how are you at trust any issues there?
It looks like it's time for a story.
When I first arrived in Guatemala, mind you, as an adult, a married adult, as opposed to a teen or 20-something looking to be courted, I was amazed, absolutely amazed at how nice people were to me, almost falling over themselves to be my friends. Now, for reasons we are absolutely not getting into anytime soon, I have some deep seated trust issues, but I was kind of like, well, this is definitely weird, but I guess it's a cultural thing. They're just really, really nice here because it was everybody. I had a problem. They want to fix it. I need a repair. They know a guy. I want a decent cup of coffee. Oh, let me take you again. Kind of weird, but okay. I'm not used to everybody being that overly nice, but it's a different country. And there are a lot of things I'm not used to. We go to a business, restaurant, club, and the owner can namedrop, namedrop us, so weird. Like, hey, yeah. Did you know the gringos were here yesterday? Yeah. The gringos visit, the gringos use my business. The gringos. Gringos. I know we're the only gringos around, right? It's just I'm not used to that at all. It's very strange.
Now, I think part of the reason I feel like so many people acted like they want it to be my friend is their obsession with America, with Americans, with American lifestyle and culture? I automatically had my status, bumped several points just for being American. And so they got a bump in status being seen with me. To this day when I walk down the street, people will come out of their homes. This is in my neighborhood. They'll come out of their homes and wave and say hello. Some people will want to join me on my walk to the tienda just to buy a Coke. Children will come up and give me hugs. And I know it sounds bizarre, right? Like I'm a celebrity or a Pied Piper or Snow White. And I assure you, I'm none of those things. I mean, yes, we've we've helped a lot of people. We've helped a lot of families. And yes, I have physical traits or features that certainly stand out from what is typical in my neighborhood. But really, I'm American. I wind up with an entourage simply for being American.
Part of it is that the culture here is just friendlier. They're kind of more polite, more formal in general, when you pass on the street, you typically acknowledge each other with at least a cordial greeting as you're walking. If you're friends, you stop and chat for several minutes, even if you don't really have the time. Time here is a little bit subjective or flexible to say the least. But even if you want to message somebody, if you want to message your friend and ask them what they're doing later, what do you normally say? Like, hey, what are you doing later? Right. It's pretty, pretty simple here. It's not even kidding. It's like, hi, hello. Good morning. How did you wake up? I hope that you woke up well, I hope that you are well and that you and your family have been blessed by God today. I hope that I'm not interrupting you, but are you busy later? And that isn't even an exaggeration. That's literally how those messages go. And it does sound nicer in Spanish. I mean, when other people say it in Spanish, not me so much. And on top of that, it's not just one message. It's like 5 or 6 messages where you're waiting for the question. That's something that takes some getting used to as well. But I texted my best friend in the States, hey. What are you doing later? Want to eat? That's. That's all there is. What? We have a closer relationship, and we can use more casual. We can use more casual language.
You know, for me, and this is probably a me issue, I don't know, but it was very uncomfortable having so many people just so over the top nice to me and accommodating and trying so hard to be my friend instead of instead of being just their authentic selves. You know, the cynical part of my brain says that most of the people act like they want to be your friend because they want something from you money, status, food, whatever their want is. And that is certainly valid in a lot of situations. That's not the path I'm trying to go down today, but I didn't know who to trust and had a really hard time with that. Honestly, I still do. I sort of I'll pull back from things, pull back from people, not leave, not want to leave our home or our property if I don't have to, and take I want to take time and space. I did that a lot in the beginning and I still do that occasionally now And it's been it's been quite a while, several years that we've been here.
Now, another complicating factor for us is that we are the outsiders moving into their community. We're the ones who speak a different language from everyone else. We're the ones who are different. We didn't move into an expat area. Everyone else around us speak Spanish. A few of the kids know a little bit of English. They're learning that in school. But even if you know a little bit of Spanish, they know a little bit of English. It's still really difficult to have meaningful conversations and, you know, build those relationships and gain trust either way. So I think that part is challenging as well. That fascination, though, that sort of obsession is one that I think so many Guatemalans have specifically with Americans. With American style, with that lifestyle, the perceived cultures. And it's coming from so many places, not the least of which are avenues like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, just social media in general. There's so much exposure to American media like movies, TV shows, music, music videos, um, and it shapes, shapes, trends, shapes fashion trends worldwide, whether it's positive or not.
And the economic aspirations. I've touched on this in another episode. People think that people here in Guatemala think they're pretty much all Americans are wealthy, and relatively speaking, we are now, I think a lot of Guatemalans are picturing like Scrooge McDuck level wealthy, like money coming out of our ears wealthy. Which isn't exactly the case for most people. But again, it's it's all relative, right? So that perception of of American prosperity and success influences people's desire to to emulate American lifestyle, including this clothing and brand choices, because they're associated with affluence and innovation and wearing the American clothing, it can also symbolize status, your social status. Right? And it's not even that different from what a lot of Americans will do. Maybe you are dressing for the job you want. Maybe you're driving a car that is really cool, shows other people that you are cool, or you have more money than maybe you do. Maybe you're struggling to make those car payments. Maybe you have a big, beautiful house and it isn't exactly furnished. You're trying to portray an image, right? That you're more successful, you have more money than you do, and this is kind of the same rate. By wearing those those American style clothes and using the brands, you're putting out an image that that you are of higher social status, higher socioeconomic status, and you're showing other people that, you know what I'm doing, all right? Because you're emulating something that's seen as a higher. So it's this image that you put out into the world and especially younger generations right now, I think more than ever before in history are being influenced by by global trends and embracing fashion, and I mean all kinds of trends. From the outside world. I mean, globalization is. It's just going wild where it's going faster and faster than ever. And there's still the traditional tourism and travel. American tourists visit Guatemala, Guatemalans visit the states, and there's that cross-cultural exchange.
But sometimes, sometimes I think that it's just something different. I don't have any actual data on this, but my guess, my guess would be that something north of, I don't know, 90% of people here have dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin, and are relatively short compared to Americans. So maybe if you're tall, if you have green or blue eyes, if you have red or blonde hair, it's different, right? It'll catch someone's attention. I have light colored eyes. I have light colored skin. I mean, it's just it's different. But I think I think they're genuinely interested in something that it's just it's just different. Something maybe other than Brown Eyes. Although another thing about it I've heard, I don't think I've ever heard anyone here refer to brown eyes as brown. If so many other words for like more descriptive words like cafe or caramel. I really like that.
But the thing is, though, I don't I don't need anyone to like me just because I'm American. There's nothing inherently special about me because I have green eyes. I didn't accomplish anything to make my eyes green. And in the same way, I don't need enemies because of stupid crap that the government of my country may have done, or the DEA or the CIA, or frankly, anyone who isn't me. I think that we all pretty much want to be liked or disliked for who we are individually. I think that's just human, right?
So let's delve into a less pleasant part. So whether you know details or numbers or even pay attention to the news, I think everyone is aware of at least some of the issues that America's southern border. There are a lot of issues, and you can call it whatever you want. Put whatever label you want. I really don't want to be political any more than I absolutely have to be. And I know everything is political, right? My goal is to look at things through more of a more of a socio economic lens, more from just being curious. What I'm talking about specifically today is the journey of Guatemalans in particular, and the risks that they are willing to take in order to cross the sovereign border of the United States in a way that they know is against the law. Okay. I don't think that was super political. But there are gobtons of people crossing the border every day why gobtons? Because nobody actually knows the real number. I mean, you can make educated guesses based on the number of contacts and no one got aways, but but it's a lot. So highly scientific. Number gobtons of people. Now, people always want to talk to me here about America and ask me questions about what America is like. And then tell me about their friend or relative that got into the US, about how they're so excited that they got in and not with, you know, passport and visa, but they got into the US and they got their child into school. They got a job. Two people I know of in particular, one is doing construction, the other do a the other is doing housekeeping, not stereotyping. Those are just jobs from the informal employment market. They're easy to get without having documents, easier to get without having documents, I should say. But they're so proud. So proud. Anyone who knows me knows that pretty much any thought or emotion that I have shows on my face, and I'm working on that. So when they're talking to me, I try not to let my feelings show on my face as I ask them questions. But inside, I'll admit I'm I'm angry. I'm confused. Why on earth are they telling me this? Why are they so happy and excited? Why on earth do they think I want to hear this? They know I'm from the States. That's why. That's why they're talking to me. They know that their fill in the blank basically just broke into my country. Added one more kid to to an already overwhelmed school system, and for what to send? They're less than minimum wage money because informal job market they can be taken advantage of. They're not making minimum wage, they're making less than that. And they'll accept it because it's way more than what they were making here. And because they are undocumented, they can be taken advantage of. It's just that's just how things work sometimes. But they're sending that money back to Guatemala instead of spending investing it in the United States. And, you know, adding that money, putting that money back into the American economy. So why why would that make me happy? I'm gonna let that simmer. I'm gonna come back to that in a little bit.
Let's talk about some of the reasons that Guatemalans don't like Americans. And this is according to different sources. I tried to be objective. I know that some of these sources are left, right and center and that some of them are government. Um, what's the word I should use? Government persuaded if not government owned. So, I mean, just take it with a grain of salt. Some of it is true though. So one of the things they said is that the US has interfered with their country and therefore affected their communities and quality of life. Okay, that okay Another one is that the US is interfering with their migration and quote, which affects their ability to improve their lives by not allowing them to reach the United States. Okay, I'm not sure how I feel about that one. Next one year, the US is deporting people who have migrated to the US in search of a better life and making them live in poverty, in violence. Additionally, they say deportation from the US back to Guatemala contributes to instability. Now, these are paraphrased quotes. Mostly they were originally in Spanish and they went through Google Translate and I'm reading them to you in the English translation, but more here. Gained culture from the US has worsened violence and Guatemala over the past two decades, and US politics and religious ideologies have shaped Guatemalan politics. Doesn't really see a lot more here. Doesn't really say much more here, except that the evangelical and Pentecostal communities historically supported the Guatemalan military and dictatorship. Now, there are a whole lot of evangelical churches in certain areas of Guatemala. I don't know that I've seen Pentecostal churches, but I haven't specifically been looking for them. And obviously there are so many places that I haven't been. So I don't know where those churches are, but these are some of these are kind of legit. And if it's there, if it's their perspective, I mean, you know, people. People tend to have a short term memory when it comes to, well, pretty much anything, but especially with world history, and especially if it's something they only read about and it didn't live through. I mean, something bigger or better, more interesting happens and kind of pushes other things out of our brains, maybe. So to understand the background of US interference, we need to go back a way back. The whole thing goes back like 500 years. 1524 actually, that is 500 years. That's when the Spaniards came and, um, land in Guatemala enslaved the indigenous people. They were here for like 300 years. Actually, this story goes way back longer than that, because the story of the Maya people in Guatemala goes back almost 4000 years, I think. I don't really have the time or attention span to cover all of that today. So I'm just going to go back to the 1950s, and I'll try and be as concise as I can here. And with the caveat that they're, what do they say? Three sides to every truth. And I don't think I don't believe that any single entity holds the details of the complete truth, but I'll go ahead and report the basics. So going back to the 1950s, Guatemala's president at the time was Jacobo Arbenz. I'm not sure if I'm saying that hundred percent correctly, but I think that's what his name was, Jacobo Robbins. This dude wanted to do a land reform, which was a land And redistribution, giving land back to the indigenous Maya, who are now peasants working the land for other people. Remember, the Spanish came in 1524, took the land, enslaved the people. So in 15 I'm sorry. In 1954, 1954, the CIA, the American CIA, orchestrated a coup that ousted Arbenz, who, by the way, was a democratically elected president, then a military regime controlled things after that. Now, that seems like a weird thing to do for no reason. So you may have heard of the United Fruit Company if you haven't. Well, after some things that they went through, they reorganized and rebranded and now go by the name Chiquita. So maybe you've heard of them. As of 2014, 1 or 2 Brazilian companies bought Chiquita, so they are no longer an American company, but they used to be. So at this time that we're talking about industry 1954, the United Fruit Company was an American MNC, and they had control again, very scientific term of gigatons of land, which gave them so much influence over economic and political developments in Guatemala and other Latin American countries, and with money. In power. They had unbelievable lobbying power in the United States. So this land, these captains of land that president wanted to give back to the indigenous people, I'm sure you can see where this is going. So, yes, the CIA, the coup. But I'm presuming that there were some people getting really ticked off and doing plotting and planning and cabanas in the jungle and forest, because six years later, in 1960, there was a rebellion against the military regime that led to the outbreak of a civil war. Now, there are a lot more details, right? It's a war. A terrible, bloody war that lasted 36 freaking years, almost four decades. Some people listening today haven't been alive that many years. I know other people listening have been married longer than that, but almost four decades, 36 years. But the US just did that one thing right? I don't know, I wasn't there. I mean, I don't want to go into gruesome details of war, but it's at war. Here are a few numbers to help paint the picture of how people were impacted. Over 200,000 people lost their lives Let that sit for a minute. 200,000 people and they don't even know the exact number. To this day, they don't know the exact number. Over 80% of the casualties who are indigenous Maya. Over 90% of the human rights violations were committed by state, military or paramilitary forces. What that means is almost all of the awful things were committed by people wearing uniforms. The war left part of the population. Displaced communities were wiped out. Communities were burned to the ground. Very specific things happen to women in those communities and they were forced migrations. Um, these indigenous Maya communities absolutely suffered disproportionately. Now, these numbers are not what the original reports said. When the government came out with their initial reports, they said something very much opposite from what the international studies found. So the US apparently played a role through military aid and covert actions and supported them. The military dictator that was installed after the coup with Arbenz. This war. It is fresh, it is recent, and the legacy shapes Guatemala's social fabric to this day. Everywhere you go, you'll see barbed wire, razor wire above the huge concrete walls that surround people's patios. Iron on windows and doors. And I don't mean like, you know, rich people. This is just people who are comfortable enough to be able to afford homes with walls and doors and windows. This is just typical. It's normal. And this is something that is separate and apart, apparently from the drugs and gangs and that violence. But an entire generation of boys and men were wiped out, disappeared. There've been some very good books and studies written on this war. I apologize for the pronunciation, but Rigoberta menchu, a Maya woman, actually won a Nobel Peace Prize for her portrayal of the war in her book. I've read it. It's good. The book. The book is good. Terrible story. It's the book is difficult to get through, but you get to a point and you just can't put it down. I highly recommend that. 1996 1996 is when this war ended. I know for some people that's like it was a million years ago, but for others it's like it was yesterday. As far as world history is concerned. I mean, 1896 is a lot closer to yesterday than a million years ago. This is a recent wound when the war ended with the peace accords in 96. They had a few things that they agreed to the amnesty law. This will be, I'm sure, challenging to figure out what it provided amnesty for certain offences committed during the conflict. Guess who received amnesty? It wasn't the Mayans they didn't do couldn't do the things. But this was supposed to allow for reconciliation and healing. So that 90% number that I read, amnesty. It was also supposed to allow for disarmament to urgently disarm rebel groups, aka Mayans and people fighting on their behalf. They're also supposed to have further peace talks. Um, they're supposed to work out problems with land ownership to this day 2024. That has not been resolved right now. Right this minute. Guatemala has the highest concentration of land ownership, possibly anywhere, depending on the source. Only 18 to 20% of farmland in the country is owned by small landholders. Like single families. While the overwhelming 80 to 82% belongs to international companies, to regional businesses and wealthy individuals. Now, it's said there are a handful of businesses and about 20 families control the country, the economy and the government. I don't know how true that is, but I mean, it kind of makes sense with land numbers like that, and it has this human nature. I think it's far easier and convenient to shift the attention and blame to someone else. It's much easier to say to the people, see, look, they started it. Go get mad at them. When people are angry and demanding their land, rather than facing your own internal problems. Rather than battle the wealthy and influential families that are wealthy and influential for a reason, rather than risk your own career or worse. I mean, is the US blameless? Usually not. We've usually gotten involved with something somewhere along the line, right? We're big and powerful. We have money. We have to help. We have to pick a side and up. I mean, we have to make sure it's the correct side. We have to make sure they have the correct type of government, make sure it lines up with world partners, worldviews, trade agreements, other geopolitical interests, and then send them some combination of Enough money. Man's. What else? Food. Oil. Weapons. And I know, I know, I know, I know that is extremely, extremely simplistic but at the most basic level also true. And not just the US, but any country in the position of being able to help another. And clearly these are really, really big issues. I am just barely skimming the top of them. But this country, Guatemala, has serious, serious problems, deeply rooted problems and poverty. Poverty here isn't like isn't like poverty in the US. If you're cold and hungry and homeless, there is probably somewhere you can go, right? It might be humbling, but you can go get food, clothes, basic medical care, shower. You can get some help and for your kids to. That just isn't a thing here. And I know there are big, big problems with mental health, with substance abuse access. But I mean, there are shelters, there are kitchens, there are there are places available for people to go. That isn't a thing here. There isn't any kind of social safety net. The education system, some of them absolutely are doing a good job, are doing the best they can with the resources they have available. Some of them are just a joke. Water. Water like the second most important thing after air, right? 95% of it here is contaminated, polluted surface water, groundwater, you know, serious water crisis. It's awful. Food, food. There isn't enough food. There isn't enough being produced. There isn't excess, at least not if you're poor, which is over half the country. And there's violence, gangs, systemic corruption. Like you cannot believe earthquakes, floods, droughts, bugs, snakes, volcanoes. Don't even get me started on the patriarchy. I mean, this is it's like a freaking remake of the Old Testament. Not everywhere, but most places. Can you imagine? Can you imagine your life being so terrible, so unstable, unpredictable, being so chronically hungry and sick that you would work for years to save that money, living on only tortillas so you could pay a coyote who you don't know and who are notoriously dangerous to take your child into the US, into another country so they can have a chance, hopefully hook up with a family member or someone else you know that's already there. Get into a public school system that actually goes to school five days a week, has things like toilet paper, electricity, food, running water, not just the school knowing, knowing. There's a chance that something absolutely awful, so many awful things could happen on that trip. Just just for the chance that they could avoid living your life again. Me? No, no, actually, no, I cannot. I've tried and I cannot. I have a decent life now, but I've lived through some crap, some really awful, terrible things that no one should have to experience. And especially not a child. But I cannot imagine making that journey myself, let alone, let alone sending my child on that trip. But when people are telling me their stories about the time they were in the US before they were deported Or they are fill in the blank. Who is in the US now? I think maybe they want me to share in the joy that there's a chance, that there's a chance that this person has a chance that they've seen the other side, the electricity, the roads, the water, the hospitals that actually have medical supplies that that when you're are getting pulled over by a cop, that it's probably actually a cop, that you aren't watching your grandmother and daughter working every single day in the tienda instead of tending to their health or education. I feel like I kind of get it. I still don't really like it. And I know this sounds probably incredibly juvenile. I feel like it's mine, right? It's my country and you're not doing it right, and you're going to break it. And then and then no one's going to be able to use it. I know it's like something a three year old would say, right. But the anger is showing last on my face, which is good. Probably just causes more wrinkles or my face will get stuck like that or something, I don't know. But listen, I really appreciate you hanging out with me today, trying to hear different sides of more than one country. Differential topic. And I know this was a lot and put a lot of things in very simple and simplistic terms, barely skimming the surface. But I mean, even even to this day, if you ask different people about the Civil War here and there are people here who lived through that, I mean, it's fresh. People will tell you different things. They will blame different groups. I can understand why people are confused, why there's a lack of trust, a lack of basic security, and what I don't know how to express this. As sad as I feel for them, bad luck of their lot in life due to where they were born in the timeline. And Shay. Graphically, I think I feel doubly thankful that I was born where I was and I can't. I can't change or fix the big problems. I try to help the little problems, but the big problems, I can recognize them, I can try to understand and I can spread awareness. You can help too. You can help to spread awareness, understanding, maybe even help to solve problems. I invite you to share this podcast with someone you know who who might be interested in immigration, world affairs, history. I never know who might have solutions to the problems. If you have questions or comments or experiences to share, you can email me Phoenix@ThePhoenixRoseShow.com or message me from wherever you're listening today. Join me next time for more stories, experiences and insight. Till then, I'm Phoenix Rose. Stay curious and stay safe.

PREVIEW: Bananas, War, and Immigration without Politics!!

PREVIEW!
Summary
 Phoenix Rose discusses controversial topics without political bias such as "illegal immigration," bananas, war, and the relationship between Guatemala and the US. The upcoming episode promises to be a trip and invites listeners to join her tomorrow morning.
Transcription
Are you feeling a little controversial? Perfect. I'm Phoenix Rose, and this is the place for you. Tomorrow morning, we are discussing "both" sides of illegal immigration....and without the politics. That'll be interesting in itself. We're also discussing bananas, war, and the love / hate relationship between Guatemala and America. Is it jealousy? Is it well-earned hostility? Is it just the US poking its nose in other people's business? Yep. I'm going there and we might not end up quite where you're predicting, but Holy guacamole, tomorrow's episode is a trip! Join me tomorrow morning right here or wherever you normally listen to podcasts.
 
 

S1E7: Special Guest Fawn Pt. 2!!!!

Summary
This is an edited transcript of a podcast where the host and their guest talk about the guest's trip to Guatemala. They discuss the culture, food, transportation, and customs in Guatemala, as well as their own personal experiences. They also touch on the importance of being open-minded and respectful while traveling, as well as the rules and regulations for bringing items into the country. Overall, it was a fun and informative conversation about the guest's trip and the beauty of traveling. In this continuation of last week's episode, Fawn and Phoenix are discussing more things from Fawn's trip, such as pharmacies, food options, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Fawn was pleasantly surprised by the variety and availability of fresh produce in Guatemala, as well as the lower cost of items like eggs. She also noticed that pharmacies in Guatemala are much smaller and have fewer options compared to the US. Overall, she found it refreshing to have simpler and healthier food choices while traveling.
 
 Transcription
Speaker 1
[00.00.00]
 We’re I think as Americans so used to having so many more options.
Listener discretion is advised. Today's episode may contain references to, or jokes made about topics that may not be appropriate
Speaker 2
[00.00.14]
 for younger or, quite frankly,
Speaker 1
[00.00.16]
 more sensible audiences. There will almost certainly be dreadfully mispronounced words
Speaker 2
[00.00.19]
 some bad editing, and at least one terrible impression. Welcome to the show. Hey, hey. It's the Phoenix Rose Show. Spread your wings and
Speaker 1
[00.00.37]
 fly, and
Speaker 2
[00.00.39]
 Fly with Phoenix Rose, Phoenix Rose. From the mountains to the seas. Stories whispered on every breeze. With Phoenix Rose Phoenix Rose Ancient lands, life, families. Humor, truth, fails, victories with Phoenix Rose, Phoenix Rose. Welcome to the Phoenix. So. Welcome to the Phoenix Rose Show. Welcome to the show. Welcome to the show. Come on, let's go. Let's go. Go!
Speaker 1
[00.01.23]
 Welcome back. I'm Phoenix Rose, and today we are back with Fawn, continuing our conversation from last week. Today we're discussing things from her trip like pharmacies, food, eggs, fruit, bringing food into the country. Without further ado, let's get back into that conversation.
Speaker 2
[00.01.46]
 Now, when you were down there, you guys didn't have to go to a hospital or doctor or a dentist or anything, right?
Speaker 1
[00.01.52]
 Correct. Okay. Luckily, yeah. Thank goodness. Although
Speaker 2
[00.01.56]
 I did kind of want we did walk by the pharmacy and they're like completely open and just all the stuff is sitting there and like, nobody's really watching anything in that kind of threw me off. Well,
Speaker 1
[00.02.10]
 except for the armed guards with the shotguns across their
Speaker 2
[00.02.13]
 chests. You know, there wasn't anybody in the one that I saw. Really? We I did see another one that had, like, guards on the outside, but the one threw me for a loop because there was like, nobody. But you can see there was still stuff in it. I almost wonder if it just wasn't anything of value and they were moving everything to a different pharmacy maybe. I don't
Speaker 1
[00.02.34]
 know. Their pharmacies are definitely different. Usually they are very, very small. And like here I think of a pharmacy and I think of a chain pharmacy that has not only medications but also snacks. And yeah, like school supplies in great different foods and drinks and. Right, I mean all kinds of things. But there are the pharmacies are usually small and they just have a small assortment of medicines and baby formula, um, some health and beauty aids, usually a little bit of bug spray kind of things, but they're tiny, tiny little places. And usually you don't really go into them. It's just
Speaker 2
[00.03.21]
 you walk up.
Speaker 1
[00.03.22]
 Yeah. You walk up and or if you do go into it, it's just like one big counter behind or one huge shelf behind the counter with all the supplies that you don't wander around the pharmacy and go shopping. You just tell the person at the counter what you need and they go get
Speaker 2
[00.03.39]
Yeah, the one that was on the corner that I saw that nobody was there was literally just like a wall in a counter with like the open window that you walk up to. There was no way to get in. Yeah. Mhm. I'm like how the does that work. You
Speaker 1
[00.03.56]
 just walk up there and tell them what you need and if they have it they'll pull it for you. You pay for it and walk away. If they don't have it, sometimes they can tell you who might have it. But they don't have the variety. Like here we can go to our local drugstore. And if you're looking for acetaminophen, there are eight different brands, right? And if you are looking for Tylenol there's this dosage to this many you can get
Speaker 2
[00.04.25]
 you can get different quantities. You can get ten of them 20, 30, 200, 500 a thousand. You can get am pm children's um arthritis like there's so many right. You can get liquid pills, gel caps. They're they might have two boxes of acetaminophen. You can get five of them or ten of them in the package. They just they don't have they they don't have the variety where I think as Americans so used to having so many more options and we get honestly, we get kind of frustrated when you don't have options, you don't have the variety. We're so used to having so many more options and we get honestly, we get kind of frustrated when we don't have options like, well,
Speaker 1
[00.05.09]
 yeah, that's great that there's one available, but it's not really the one that I wanted. And they're like, well, this is what we have. Sometimes like, I feel like we have too many options though. If I have a choice of 3 or 4, I'm happy. If I've got a choice of 20. I could spend an hour trying to figure out which one is the best deal for my money. I absolutely want
Speaker 2
[00.05.35]
 four choices. I don't want 20. But
Speaker 1
[00.05.39]
 in that case, shopping in Guatemala is would be much easier for you there. There aren't as many choices for for anything really, but especially with medications and things.
Speaker 2
[00.05.51]
 I do think they have a way better selection as far as fresh fruits. Oh, absolutely. Better food choices down there because I have a lot of food restriction. You know this. Mhm. We didn't go to a single place that I didn't have options.
Speaker 1
[00.06.11]
 Now does that happen frequently where you live in the States.
Speaker 2
[00.06.14]
 No really I had more options when we were down there than I do being at home. Unless I'm going to the store singling out the ingredients and cooking at home. But as far as restaurants are going out, I didn't struggle at all. Any place we went down there to find options.
Speaker 1
[00.06.36]
 Please think they had anything to do with things being fresher or less processed,
Speaker 2
[00.06.42]
 or
Speaker 1
[00.06.43]
 just fresher foods available? Do you know?
Speaker 2
[00.06.47]
 Do
Speaker 1
[00.06.47]
 you have any theories about what might have made it easier for you to find those foods?
Speaker 2
[00.06.53]
 Well, the fruit was way more available. It was everywhere. Mhm. They make fresh homemade corn tortillas everywhere you look. They've got eggs everywhere in there. Super cheap. Absolutely. Everybody had chicken like rice. You couldn't blink without seeing rice but like so maybe it's just what they have available. Maybe I just got lucky. Well. Everywhere we went, there was options. Not just, oh, we have rice and we have all of these other things that are full of gluten and processed foods and things of that nature. But down there they don't do all that. So I guess it could be a lot of the processed foods and stuff which they pull out of the equation because it's just bags of rice, fresh eggs, fresh homemade tortillas, lots of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, like everything is just. And it's not bad either. Like it's super good. Things like very flavorful. I mean, I don't know, I was just flabbergasted. I just, I thought I was going to have a really hard time finding anything down there, and I found everything. And the one thing my husband says every time I have to go to the store to buy fruit, and it takes me an hour to pick out fruit that looks good to buy and bring home, and we pay outrageous prices for it. Here goes. We need to go back to Guatemala just for the fruit.
Speaker 1
[00.08.33]
 Oh, I know, and it cracks me up when they're when you order a seasonal fruit plate. And we're used to being in the north where seasonal fruit you have, you know, three options because we have the snow and the winter. And
Speaker 2
[00.08.49]
 of course
Speaker 1
[00.08.49]
 just there isn't as much fruit available. And if it is available, like you just pointed out, it costs so much money. But they're they're like, oh, well, our seasonal fruit options right now are
Speaker 2
[00.09.03]
 watermelon, pineapple, papaya, mango. We have grapes. We have strawberry. Like we have 20 different fruits right now that are in season. I'm so sorry that these other two fruits are not in season. You're like, okay, um,
Speaker 1
[00.09.17]
 well, you can bring me any of those 20 things that you just mentioned. I like them all. And holy smokes, you have all of those and they're cheap. Mhm.
Speaker 2
[00.09.25]
 Um, now cheap to us
Speaker 1
[00.09.28]
 for what we would pay here. Right. Like there's so much to eat, even eggs to like we had that it was crazy prices with eggs just going nuts and. We had food costs skyrocketing in Guatemala too, but eggs went up just a teeny tiny bit in Guatemala. There wasn't the same the same rate of inflation on foods like eggs.
Speaker 2
[00.09.58]
 I can't remember what the eggs were when we were down there, but I feel like it was ridiculous. Like $0.05 an egg. It sends an egg or something,
Speaker 1
[00.10.05]
 right? Because so many people have chickens and eggs and there's no kind of supply and demand issues. There are so many chickens and so many eggs. Yeah, I think it was. Everybody on your street has chickens and
Speaker 2
[00.10.17]
 eggs, $0.05 an egg or something. When we were there and I was just floored, I was like, wait, what? I think I have the eggs for a dollar, right? Like, okay, well, I don't need that money, but I'll take ten.
Speaker 1
[00.10.30]
 Right. It is cool though. You can go,
Speaker 2
[00.10.33]
 um,
Speaker 1
[00.10.34]
 you can go and just whatever morning you're like, okay, I'm going to have three eggs for breakfast. I'm just going to go buy three eggs. So that is kind of different
Speaker 2
[00.10.45]
 because it's not like nothing is processed. You don't have preservatives in the bread. They haven't, you know, done all kinds of things to the eggs. They just went and took the eggs from the chickens. The bread doesn't last as long. I don't know what they do to eggs in stores or in farms to make them less longer. But.
Speaker 1
[00.11.03]
 Just you have to use the food so much faster.
Speaker 2
[00.11.05]
 I know what the eggs. If you don't wash them. They last longer because you're not taking that protective membrane off the egg itself. So I think that's how, like, I thought it was weird growing up that, uh, the Hispanic kids that I knew, their families had eggs on the counter, like, they're they're rotten. I don't want those. And, no, they're not rotten. They're just not washed. Or they and they've never been cold, so they don't have to be cold and they will last 30 days. Mhm. Just sitting on the counter. I was floored when I figured that out. So yeah down there they can keep them that way for a long periods of time to sell them out. But it's just weird how readily available everything was. Mhm.
Speaker 1
[00.11.51]
 Some things.
Speaker 2
[00.11.54]
 Okay. The food was for
Speaker 1
[00.11.55]
Yeah. That was, that was that wasn't really as
Speaker 2
[00.11.59]
 readily available. And I was floored But yeah even with the fruit like you go to a restaurant and they've got a fruit bar for breakfast. Mhm. And it's like there was they cooked the fruits in ways that I'd never even thought of with different seasonings and different flavors. And I'm like. That is awesome.
Speaker 1
[00.12.18]
 Oh, I could do that at home,
Speaker 2
[00.12.20]
 but I've got so much more to do it. You know, they cheaper to get out of plane and fly down there for breakfast.
Speaker 1
[00.12.27]
 But you can't bring fruit back
Speaker 2
[00.12.28]
 here. I know that is. I don't like that fruit.
Speaker 1
[00.12.32]
 And what else? If we had meats, fruits and meats? Yeah. They're really
Speaker 2
[00.12.37]
 smart about actually. Yes. Yeah. I can't travel with pork. Not
Speaker 1
[00.12.42]
 even if you just bought a sandwich at subway. At the airport. You cannot bring it into the country.
Speaker 2
[00.12.50]
 Oh,
Speaker 1
[00.12.50]
 they don't tell you that, but.
Speaker 2
[00.12.52]
 Yes. Yeah. I think, uh, the places in the airport should have signs up saying what's allowed to be taken with you. You know, a lot
Speaker 1
[00.13.01]
 of people have mentioned that,
Speaker 2
[00.13.03]
 but, um.
Speaker 1
[00.13.06]
 Yeah. Well, you're supposed to know, apparently on your customs forms, if you read everything it says, like you can't bring in.
Speaker 2
[00.13.18]
 Bugs. Food's
Speaker 1
[00.13.21]
 dirt.
Speaker 2
[00.13.23]
 Meat.
Speaker 1
[00.13.24]
 Like you, whenever you sign something, when you sign your customs forms, your declaration forms, you're saying
Speaker 2
[00.13.29]
 that you're not bringing any of those things in. So they're like, well, you said you signed this form. So you said you do not have fruits, vegetables, dirt, meats, any of that. So people are like, well, how did I know? And the customs people are always like, well,
Speaker 1
[00.13.44]
 you're supposed to read this thing before you signed it, so that's how you're supposed to know.
Speaker 2
[00.13.49]
 Yeah, but Americans have this and we have another sign and stuff before they read it,
Speaker 1
[00.13.53]
 you know, and it isn't just us.
Speaker 2
[00.13.56]
 Um, I was watching. I don't even know where we were, and but I caught part of this show. There are people coming into Australia from somewhere, and they had been given apples on the flight and people were getting fined. We was New Zealand, was Australia, New Zealand, they were getting fined for bringing apples Each person had one apple that they'd gotten on the flight, and they were every single one of them that still had their apple was getting fined for bringing that Apple in. And the guys were like, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1
[00.14.29]
 You agreed by signing your customs thing
Speaker 2
[00.14.33]
 that so it was done on purpose? No,
Speaker 1
[00.14.35]
 but people were acting like it was.
Speaker 2
[00.14.39]
 Well, I will that's where my thought would go that it was done on purpose by the people on the plane. So that way the people could be fined in the country, would get money. Yeah. I don't I didn't catch the whole story, but like I do, I really just can't imagine that there's a flight or flight attendants or food service going around like, hahaha, let me give everyone apples.
Speaker 1
[00.15.03]
 So this is my evil plan to take over the world. I'm going to do it by one apple at a time.
Speaker 2
[00.15.10]
 Doctor Doofenshmirtz right, but no, I where they had. I don't know how much the fines were, but they were like just enough to be annoying. And people were like, you're kidding me. Are you freaking this? Like, I was just going to go on my record? Like, am I going to be a. It's like, no, you just have to sign here that you.
Speaker 1
[00.15.30]
 You have to sign here that you tried to bring an apple into our country, and you have to pay a small fine, or you can fight it in court,
Speaker 2
[00.15.38]
 or I can eat the apple, and it never existed.
Speaker 1
[00.15.41]
 I mean, that seems like
Speaker 2
[00.15.43]
 you can get rid of the evidence that way. But I was like, okay, first of all, what is the name of this TV show? How do they make a show out of people, out of an entire flight, bringing apples into a country?
Speaker 1
[00.15.56]
 Like, I really need to know that. But, you know, we've gotten stopped
Speaker 2
[00.16.01]
 and
Speaker 1
[00.16.02]
 they'll ask you questions at customs when you're coming through. And like, do you have any food? Do you have any food with you?
Speaker 2
[00.16.08]
 Um, well,
Speaker 1
[00.16.10]
 I have a granola bar. I have two pieces of gum. I have, um, a cough drop. Like, how specific do you need me to get? But then if you don't see anything,
Speaker 2
[00.16.22]
 that's a big problem. And you're
Speaker 1
[00.16.24]
 like, well, you said you didn't have any food. Well, I didn't know I needed to declare my granola
Speaker 2
[00.16.28]
 bar in a cough drawer
Speaker 1
[00.16.30]
 or the sandwich mints. Right. The sandwich that I ate half of from the other airport. So sometimes you're just like, well, I didn't know how specific I had to be. I don't know what you need to know about, but if you actually read the forms before you sign them.
Speaker 2
[00.16.48]
 Nobody does. Yeah.
Speaker 1
[00.16.50]
 And by the way, who brings bags of dirt into another country with them?
Speaker 2
[00.16.55]
 I cannot think of a reason why you would need to bring a pack of dirt,
Speaker 1
[00.16.59]
 but you are not allowed to do that.
Speaker 2
[00.17.01]
 Maybe if they're taking it from one country back to their country, because it's a richer soil and they're trying to grow something. I mean, I don't know, other than that.
Speaker 1
[00.17.12]
 Yeah. I cannot think of a reason, but
Speaker 2
[00.17.13]
 we're not there. Great.
Speaker 1
[00.17.17]
 I thought of like, I don't know if they still do it, but you could buy those little sand art souvenirs till they put different colors of sand into, like, a glass jar. Like, I wonder if that
Speaker 2
[00.17.27]
 counts, but that seems like a little bit silly because it's just sealed. When it's sealed. I don't think that would be dirt, but I can't think of a reason why someone would bring a bag of dirt.
Speaker 1
[00.17.39]
 Earlier we were talking about a show with the flight of
Speaker 2
[00.17.43]
 apples. So the name of that show. I looked it up. Depending on where you are, it's either called Border Security Australia's Frontline, or it's also called Nothing to Declare. And that is an ongoing show. And it isn't just about flights of people with apples. They do. They show all kinds of things with border security. So.
Speaker 1
[00.18.07]
 Now we know. Well, this has been so fun chatting with you about that trip to Guatemala,
Speaker 2
[00.18.16]
 but we got sidetracked from.
Speaker 1
[00.18.17]
 No, that was. You know what? We definitely. I need to get you back down there again. Like, I wish you could be down there all the time. I know you have so many things at home that you still need to be taking care of, though, so I can't keep you to myself all the time.
Speaker 2
[00.18.31]
 Oh, no. We didn't even talk about a club that I got to go see. Or like other things, you
Speaker 1
[00.18.39]
 know, there's so many things I feel like we could have, like, 20 different conversations about that trip.
Speaker 2
[00.18.44]
 But yeah, that definitely was a good experience and something that I, I need to go back because like I said, you can't just go once.
Speaker 1
[00.18.53]
 No. Absolutely not. Well, thank you so much. We'll have you back again.
Speaker 2
[00.18.58]
 Absolutely. Thank
Speaker 1
[00.19.01]
 you so much for being here with me today and with our special guest, Fawn. If you have questions about this episode, life in Guatemala, or life in general, please reach out. Phoenix at the Phoenix Rose show. Com or you can comment or message me from wherever you're listening. Thank you in advance for clicking the like. Follow, subscribe, and for sharing the podcast with a friend. It means so much to me and allows me to keep doing this. Join me next time. It'll be informative, interesting, and probably controversial, so I'm sure you won't want to miss it. Until then, I'm Phoenix Rose. Stay curious and stay safe.
Speaker 2
[00.19.41]
 And thanks so much. Thanks so much. Thank you so much. You're awesome. Yes, you are

PREVIEW: Special Guest Part 2!!!

PREVIEW: Tomorrow morning, we have the second half of the conversation with our very special guest! Fawn discusses details of her Guatemala experience. Discussion includes pharmacies, food, supply & demand, helpful tips and great conversation! 
 All that and more tomorrow morning, right here on The Phoenix Rose Show!
This cast is great for people interested in travel, culture, society, podcasts hosted by women. This show is for adults and is not a replacement for common sense or conversations with your medical provider. <3

S1E6: Special Guest Fawn Discusses Trip to Guatemala

Phoenix and Fawn sit down to discuss Fawn's trip to Guatemala, driving in the country, interesting hand signals, the fruit lady, motion sickness prevention and more in this first part of the casual conversation.
 
This is perfect for people interested in podcasts about travel, culture, society, and especially podcasts hosted by women. 

PREVIEW: Special Guest Fawn!!!

PREVIEW: Tomorrow morning, we have a very special guest! Fawn discusses details of their Guatemala experience. Discussion includes driving in Guatemala, helpful tips to prevent travel sickness and great conversation! 
 All that and more tomorrow morning, right here on The Phoenix Rose Show!
This cast is great for people interested in travel, culture, society, podcasts hosted by women. This show is for adults and is not a replacement for common sense or conversations with your medical provider. <3
 
 

S1E5: Breakfast, Dining Customs, Tips & Practices

Phoenix is talking about breakfast-Guatemala style! She also discusses food and water safety, and some cultural differences, and even some handy money-related tips. All that and more, right here!
 
**Yes, experimenting with sound effects and a cold! 
 
MUSIC, VOICE & SOURCE CREDIT:
Sound Effect from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=26029">Pixabay</a>ONCE UPON A TIME
Sound Effect from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=18015">Pixabay</a> MICROWAVE
Sound Effect from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=62244">Pixabay</a> AND SO IT BEGINS
Sound Effect by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/myuserofmusicmagicmaker-41207126/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=181274">Aaron Card</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=181274">Pixabay</a> WEIRD LANGUAGE
Sound Effect by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/faespencer-31790355/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=178239">Fae Spencer</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=178239">Pixabay</a> WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING TO COME FROM
Sound Effect by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/derrickmckinnon-36861751/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=230923">Derrick McKinnon</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=230923">Pixabay</a> POP TOP
Sound Effect from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=76305">Pixabay</a> Diner Bell DING DING
 
INTRO/OUTRO:
Sound Effect from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=82334">Pixabay</a>
Sound Effect from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=6848">Pixabay</a>
Sound Effect by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/eritnhut1992-25656588/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=20582">Nhựt Bùi</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com//?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=20582">Pixabay</a>
Sound Effect from <a href="https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=music&utm_content=87179">Pixabay</a>
AI Voice CTA Podcastle Voices Matthew
AI Voice Listener Discretion Podcastle Voices Santa

PREVIEW: Breakfasts, Customs, Food Safety

PREVIEW: Tomorrow morning, we are talking about Breakfast-Guatemala style! Also discussing food and water safety, some cultural differences, and even some handy money-related tips. All that and more tomorrow morning, right here!