Social Interaction, Guatemalan Style

Being a part of the Guatemalan church service opened my eyes to see that social interaction varies according to cultural site. In north eastern U.S. culture that I had experienced, there were certain social norms such as avoiding meeting people's gazes and not talking or even acknowledging others when walking down the street or in sitting in a bus or train so as not to bother others or make others uncomfortable were foreign in Guatemalan culture that I had experienced. I became even more aware of this when I visited a Guatemalan bakery near Wheaton College that I would later work at as part of an internship. The owner warmly greeted me and began talking to me interchangeably in Spanish and English about who I was, where I was from, and about my connection with Guatemala. This open and friendly conversation was one of many that I experienced within this particular Guatemalan community. When I began interning, I witnessed how the bakery workers interacted with customers, whether they be Guatemalan, Hispanic, or not and whether they knew them or not. They would call out loud and friendly greetings and, breaking with the north eastern U.S. norm of sticking to small talk, engaged in long and diverse conversation of work, food, families, and friends. These conversations were not part of a business routine of being polite, but rather part of a cultural norm of having conversations that were genuine, as the people involved were sincerely interested in what the other had to say. I learned that social interaction within this Guatemalan community was very personal and intimate, the concern of making others uncomfortable never an issue, as it was a social norm, rather than avoiding it, to acknowledge others and to engage in friendly and sincere conversation.