Antigua’s Patron Saint Festivities

A recent article by Bloomberg caught my attention. The article placed Guatemala right in the middle of the list of the top 10 most “stressed-out” countries in the world. Nigeria, South Africa, El Salvador, and Mongolia were above Guatemala, while Colombia, Pakistan, Jamaica, Macedonia, and Bolivia rounded out the list, in that order.The US, if you must know, checks in at number 54 on the list, while Norway sits at the bottom as the most stress-free country in the world.

The US, if you must know, checks in at number 54 on the list, while Norway sits at the bottom as the most stress-free country in the world.

With such high unemployment in Guatemala, any job will do

To rank each country, Bloomberg assigns points to the following categories:

• Annual homicide rate per 100,000 (Guatemala is third among the top 10 with 38.5 while El Salvador blows everyone else on the entire list away with 69.2 – which right away told me the list was incomplete since Honduras was nowhere to be found).
• GDP per Capita ($3,415 for Guatemala for seventh among the top 10).
• Income Inequality (Guatemala is eighth – no surprise there).
• Corruption (Guatemala is third on the top 10 – I expected higher. In fact, Antigua’s Mayor was recently arrested for corruption and is now in jail awaiting trial. But I guess is hard to top Nigeria and Pakistan).
• Unemployment (Guatemala has the lowest unemployment rate among those on the top 10 at 4.5%).
• Urban Pollution (Guatemala is second cleanest).
• Life Expectancy (Middle of the pack with 69).

The one that jumped out at me was the unemployment rate because it seems unusually low. One constant complaint I always hear is that there aren’t enough jobs available here, especially for young people. A whopping 59% of men are underemployed, meaning they’re in a job beneath their skill level. For women that number is 40%.

A little digging around on the net reveals how the government arrives at their unemployment figure. Curiously, the government here classifies anyone involved in any job, no matter how menial, as part of the “Poblacion Economicamente Activa”, or Economically Active Population.

Many women are not counted as part of the unemployed population either, as they are labeled “housewives”, even though they often are the hardest working person in the household. Anyone who is getting money in any way, shape, or form is “employed” according to the government.

Which leads me to Tin Man, the man pictured above. Tin Man, as I’ve dubbed him, works at Antigua’s Parque Central as a busker on weekends. I know he does the same thing in Guatemala City’s Sexta Avenida during the week because I’ve seen him there as well. Does the government here classify him as employed or unemployed? By their definition, I guess he has a “job”.

In Guatemala, promises for more employment come and go each election. Whether the government sees the population as employed, or unemployed, in the end, it doesn’t matter to the average citizen. People here do what they have to do to survive no matter what the unemployment number says. That, I bet, causes more stress than any other statistic Bloomberg can cobble together.

And so Tin Man, along with millions of other Guatemalans, will go to work every day.

Job satisfaction is likely to never be part of the equation for a good number of them. The only thing they can do is to put up a brave front and do whatever they can to support their families since no unemployment check from the government is likely to ever come their way.

And then they say Tin Man has no heart.

*****

See more about living in Antigua Guatemala here.

As I walk the cobblestone streets of Antigua, sometimes catches my eyes. I pause to admire a beautiful scarf, in the unmistakable colors and patterns that Guatemalan handicrafts are known for.

Handicrafts for sale in Antigua

“30 Quetzales!”, the woman says.

I look at my wife in mock disbelief and turn my eyes elsewhere.

“25 Quetzales!”, says the seller again, trying to hold my attention.

I feign a “maybe I like it”  glance at the scarf, refusing to touch it as she hands it to me. Five seconds pass.

“20 Quetzales!”, she says.

That’s more like it. I finally open my mouth to half-heartedly counteroffer. “Diez?”, I ask if she’s willing to drop the price to ten.

She smiles and shakes her head. “Veinte.”

She’s still set on twenty.

I glance at the scarf again and feel the texture as she holds it in her hands. I hesitate for a few seconds then let the scarf go as I take a half-step away from the seller. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“Diez?”, I ask again. This time she comes back with “Dos por treinta.”

Smart – she’s willing to drop the price to fifteen each if I buy two. Not bad at all, but I only need one. I consider it for three seconds, then tell her “No gracias.” Thanks but no thanks.

At this point, it’s the seller’s choice. They can drop the price a bit more, or hope to catch another tourist who’ll pay triple the price they are willing to sell the item for.

“Dos por veinticinco!” she pleads.

Two for 25? Hmmm… That’s only 12.25Q each. Part of me want to haggle a bit more, but then I realize I’m really arguing over what amounts to Q5, or 0.62USD. I’ve paid more than that for a can of Coke.

I give in. It’s a win-win for both. She gets to sell two scarves, I get, well, my wife gets two beautiful scarves for a very reasonable price.

*****

Antigua Guatemala offers a great opportunity to acquire interesting Mayan handicrafts. Learn to bargain if you want to get the most value for your money. A quick rule is to begin every negotiation at half the price first quoted by the seller and then go from there.

When I first arrived, I felt uncomfortable asking “¿Cuanto es lo menos?” (What is the lowest price?). Now? I haggle on everything, from rent with the landlord, to tomatoes at the Mercado.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but when you and the seller strike a deal, everyone wins.

*****

Read more about living in Guatemala: https://okantigua.com/guatemala-expat/