Monthly Archives: August 2015

We want to hear from you!

‘

We are improving Understanding the Guatemalan Patient and want to hear your thoughts! Please take 5 minutes to answer 7 multiple-choice questions on our online survey. Your responses will help Vital Words Communications better serve those who use Understanding the Guatemalan Patient, and, thus, help them to better serve the Guatemalan people. A win-win, right?

Click on the link to get started: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/83JR2B9

If you have feedback for us that goes beyond the scope of this short survey, please drop us a note or post your feedback via Amazon. We’d appreciate hearing from you.

Mil gracias – a thousand thanks – for your time and thoughts!

A Taste from Guatemala: So what makes an avocado smoothie awesome?

It all started at Las Puertas, a restaurant once located on the island of Flores in Lake Petén Itza. There they served the best smoothies – or licuados as the menu called them – in town. Along with traditional licuado flavors like melón, they offered a more exotic choice: aguacate! You read that right…avocado it was! Thanks to a Japanese friend who was living in Guatemala, this smoothie became a new favorite.

Not convinced that an avocado smoothie could be good? The idea may make American taste buds tremble, but an adventurous person like yourself will surely give it a try!

Here’s the recipe.

Awesome Avocado Smoothie

Yields: 1 generous serving

Add all of the following ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

10-12 ice cubes

1/2 cup plain or Greek yogurt

1/2 cup milk (almond milk if you prefer)

3 slices from 1/2 of an avocado

1 teaspoon vanilla

sweetener (to taste)

Everyone has their own “sweet scale”. Do what you like, but you may find that you enjoy this treat without any sweetener, especially if you have more European tastes. It’s all thanks to the final ingredient, which is…

1 teaspoon lime juice

Yes, the sweet tang of lime makes this licuado awesome! Without knowing about the lime, this smoothie would be…not the same.

Sometimes it’s like that with words, isn’t it? Knowing just the right word can really flavor up a conversation. That’s what Understanding the Guatemalan Patient is here for – to help you take your conversations with Guatemalans from adequate to awesome.

If you already own a copy, don’t forget to send us your feedback via the contact us page or post a review on Amazon. We’d love to hear from you! And for all of you spunky smoothie sippers, let us know your thoughts on the licuado de aguacate as well!

The Weight of Words

Have you ever heard, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me”? Who came up with that saying? Whoever it was, they must have never heard hurtful words.

The truth is words can hurt just as much as stones. Words have weight, too. Sure, we might not stay as sensitive to others’ remarks as we were in, say, junior high, but that doesn’t mean we can’t feel pain caused by words. A promise broken, a lie told, a trust betrayed – each involves words and can dent or even shatter our lives.

On the flip side, words can anchor us to good things, catapult us into greatness and change lives. Words like home, traditions, family, love (casa, tradiciones, familia, amor) give context to our lives and – while we may feel that they weigh us down at times – they could also help keep our feet on the ground where we need to be. Many agree that these words play a big role in Latin American culture even in the 21st-century. Encouraging words can tip the scales and help us overcome our doubts. Who hasn’t been strengthened by a “Go for it!” or a “Great job!”? As one man put it, “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” [1] Truly, the right word at the right time can change someone’s life.

So what is a well-said, well-timed word’s weight worth? An ancient proverb says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” [2] Gold and silver? Now that’s some valuable weight!

At Understanding the Guatemalan Patient, we want to help you know just the right words so that you can use them at just the right time. One pocket-sized book may weigh only 2.5 ounces, but with 600+ entries in the Spanish-English section alone, its worth far more than it’s weight in words. (And it won’t tip the luggage scale or overload your purse!)

[1] Napoleon Hill, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/words.html#0uXG51BYgbIWGPfc.99 (accessed 10 August 2015).

[2] Attributed to King Solomon, Proverbs 25:11, ESV.

Glimpses of Guatemala: Do You Know This Place?

After winding along the hairpin curves enroute from Guatemala City to Chichicastenango, you might need to stretch your legs or enjoy an extra cup of coffee. Ahead is a brightly-colored sign. Maybe this is a good place to stop. Here in the mountains, the morning air can be chilly. A hot cup of coffee definitely sounds good! As you walk up to the door, the smells of wood smoke and hot corn tortillas beckon to you. Once inside, rustic tables and chairs offer space for many travelers.

What would be good to order with a cup of coffee? Homemade pie – what could be better? Well, pay de papaya y piña! What about the cake with chocolate sauce? Mmmm. Decisions, decisions.

If you’ve traveled this way before, perhaps the story is giving it away. Do you know the name of this place?

¡Sí! ¡Muy bien! El Chichoy has welcomed travelers for decades. Nestled right by the road, it is the perfect stop for a meal or just a refreshment.

In the Guatemalan mountains where the Chichoy is located, Guatemala’s indigenous languages – totaling 22 – are still spoken. Although many of the people now also speak Spanish, some words are slightly different or are used differently. These people and their unique use of language were part of the inspiration behind Understanding the Guatemalan Patient. We hope they will be just as clearly understood by those who serve them as their completely bilingual neighbors.