Mother’s Day

May 10 is Mother’s Day in Guatemala, and this Antigua-Guatemala City chicken bus took the celebration to a new level. Balloons decorated the entire bus. Perhaps in a misguided attempt to honor women and mothers, a TV screen on the bus showed sexy young women in music videos.


On another ride that same day, a vendor boarded the bus, recited poetry and Bible verses, and then gave banana bread to all the mothers. Out of respect for the real madres, I declined his offering, prompting laughter from the people around me. In a refrain I have heard too many times here, people remarked, “But she’s so OLD! How is she not a mother?”

Hey, don’t rush me!