Twenty-Two Tongues

Guatemala is roughly the size of the state of Louisiana, but that's where the similarities end. In Guatemala, there are 21 recognized indigenous languages spoken by the people. Last I heard, people in Louisiana speak just 1 language, something resembling English, but this hasn't been verified.
Carey and I work in a region where most of the people speak K'iche (gringos spell it Quiche, but that makes me think more of breakfast). In Panajachel where we live, however, the people all speak Kakchiquel. And just across the lake from us they speak at least two completely different dialects.
This is the craziest thing. There are literally places here where there are 2-3 different dialects within a mile or two of each other. But a mountain divides the communities and back in the day there was no reason to go to the other side of the mountain....so presto...the people developed two very different languages.
Spanish, of course, is the one language that seems to unite the whole country. It's ironic that the language of the conquerors (the Spanish) is now the thing that unites Guatemala as one. Carey and I find that it's much easier to speak Spanish with a native K'iche speaker than a native Spanish speaker, because it's their second language too.
I try to speak the few words I know in K'iche with our Guatemalan staff when I can. My name, "Jay" means house, which would be cooler if I were a football player and not a skinny white kid.
If you want to hear what K'iche sounds like, listen to this short video below...(you'll notice some Spanish words thrown in there too)...

Pretty cool, huh?

Offensive Driving Update:
Things Jay has hit so far with the car in Guatemala:
1. a tienda
2. a chicken bus (jerk-face ran me off the road)
3. a man on a motorcycle (yesterday). I promise the man wasn't hurt, probably just needs therapy for a while.
Things Jay is aiming to hit:
1. roosters

Have a great week.
Peace,
Jay