"Look for a Guatemalan"

Rolando works for La Mision. His wife is Guatemalan/American and he used to teach English so his English is perfect, which makes him invaluable when hosting American mission teams! He's also got a GREAT sense of humor and a passion for the work of La Mision. Upon arrival in Guatemala City, he gave us our "Intro to Guatemala" talk; the little speech about things you should know when in a new country re: culture, water, food, dangers, etc. Rolando's was the funniest intro speech I've ever heard. Two things stuck out as memorable. First, I've never had an intro speech that talked about what to do in case of an earthquake, but Guatemala has many active volcanoes and earthquakes aren't uncommon. His advice? "If there's an earthquake, just do what the Guatemalans do. "Look for a Guatemalan: if they don't look worried, don't worry. If they're running for cover, maybe worry." Second, Guatemala City is notorious for it's crime, so the intro speech included lots of safety info (mainly, don't leave the church compound. Under any circumstances. Ever.) But Rolando did want to clarify that Guatemalan's like firecrackers. A lot. They buy them for many occasions: birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, it's Thursday, it's 5:00 a.m., I had some money and wanted to buy them, etc. Apparently, in the past people have been frightened by the firecrackers, thinking them gunfire based on the safety speech. Rolando's advice? "Look for a Guatemalan: If they duck, DUCK!" :)