Anger and Fear

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  Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Thursday, June 28, 2007

Buenas Noches Amigos y Familia,
I hope all is going well for you this summer.  Is Iowa hot and humid yet this summer?  Iīve been thinking about watermelon and sweet corn all week! 

Last Friday night myself and 9 friends who all live in my apartment building went to a Salsa Competition show together.  It was far from the city center so we split up and took 2 taxiīs to the newest, fancy hotel in Xela.  They built it in preparation of national events that happen in Xela annually.  Guests from all over the world stay in this hotel.  The salsa competition was only 3 couples which was disappointing.  However, the dance school sponsoring the event had dance routines in between the competitive dances.  We saw Mambo Jazz, Salsa, and other authentic and worldly dances.  There was also really good music.  It was a nice event to witness and get a feel for the dance and music culture here.

After little rain last week it poured Friday night and Saturday night.  My roommate has a friend who plays the guitar at a club here.  I went with her and 5 other girls to hear him sing.  He has a strong, deep voice that reminded me a little of Elvis.  His songs are popular Guatemalan songs with only acoustic guitar.  Afterwards they wanted to dance so I tagged along.  I like music and I like to dance.  I think it is a free expression of oneīs self to feel the rhythm in your veins, and it is great exercise that I actually enjoy.  But lots of people think dancing is provacative and sexual.  For this reason I donīt like to dance anymore and havenīt for a long time.  But we were a big group of friends just having fun and they were playing a lot of American music so I decided to enjoy myself.  Unfortunately, even when I wasnīt dancing this older guy that gave me the creeps wouldnīt stop asking me to dance.  Everytime he would ask me to dance I would say no, gracias.  And everytime he asked me I had to say no at least 5 times each time.  I noticed my roommate was getting her things and I was ready to go home.  Again I was pestered to dance - Canīt a guy get the hint?  As I was following my roommate towards the door he put his hands on my waist.  I was trying to walk faster and squirm away when he grabbed and held onto my rear.  I had had it!!!!!  I turned around and shoved him and yelled stop it.  I was impressed by my strength and force when I needed it.  But it really made me mad that he had a smile on his face.  He thought it was funny. 

So 6 of us walked the 6 blocks back to our apartment building.  Lots of people were out and about and I felt safe in this size of group.  I noticed one guy on the other side of the street crossing to our side behind us as we were one block away from our building.  All the sudden we heard pouding steps and before we could turn around he had one hand on my rear and one hand on the rear of the girl walking beside me.  Then he turned around and ran the other way before we had registered what had happened.  Of course I was in the back of the group.  I was totally enraged!!!!  Twice in one night.  The nerve of the men here.  When I got home I was up for at least 30 minutes with the smoke rolling out of my ears.  I am still mad about it this week, although the anger soon turned to fear.  What if that guy had had a knife or gun.  I thought I was safe in a group of 6, but this made me rethink that logic.  It is just irritating that the guys here think they can take advantage of those of us that are American or European women.  Now I am always looking over my shoulder even when walking during the day and I cling to my bags on the bus and when walking down the street.  Please continue to pray for my safety.  I have been trying to be smart and careful, but I donīt want to be afraid to do anything.

The Spanish schools here offer one on one instruction not classes that are groups of students with one teacher.  It is a fantastic opportunity to practice speaking and whenever you donīt understand something you just ask away.  They suggest you switch instructors every week to learn different teaching styles and accents.  I had the same instructor for the first 2 weeks at my request, then I had a different teacher last week and this week.  My instructor last week has a friend who wants to learn English and in exchange for me helping him with his English he would help me practice my Spanish.  We have met 2 times this week.  He has a store about 8 blocks from the city center where I live and he thought maybe we could practice there, but I told him I couldnīt travel that distance alone at night.  It is too dangerous.  But he has a motorbike so he has come over to my apartment.  We have a big commons area in our apartment that is basically the living room with sofas like futons, chairs, a tv and plastic tables and chairs to eat dinner at.  The plastic tables and chairs are the type you would have out on your patio back home.  We share a bathroom and we also share a small kitchen with a gas stove, sink and fridge.  You actually have to light the stove.  I think I have singed some hair on my fingers a few times.  Me and matches have never gotten along so I wasnīt excited to learn that I would have to get used to using them.  I keep thinking I am going to set the whole box on fire when I open the box the wrong way.

I have my own bedroom and I actually switched apartments yesterday.  My earlier room was a double, the only one available at the time, and it was only available for 3 weeks.  Yesterday I moved into a smaller, single room, but I like it much better.  In fact I like the roommates Iīve met a lot better because they try to speak Spanish all the time and not English.  The best way to become fluent is to be so immersed that you never speak your primary language.  One girl is from the states and the other girl is from Austria.  One guy is a Guatemalteco, but from a different department (state) and is here studying at the university.  It is a great deal for a living space and they have people who clean the rooms for you and they give you clean towels and bed linens every week. 

My students have been really good this week.  Monday I only had a few students in both classes and the second class always has good attendance.  I worried that my teaching was terrible and that they had finally quit.  But the next day I was telling my Spanish instructor about this and she said that this week is a week of vacation for a lot of the younger kids schools.  It might have been nice to know that in advance, but I am going with the flow down here, right?  More students attended yesterday and today, but the small groups were a prefect chance to really push that vocabulary.  We reviewed vocabulary in English with pictures I had cut out of magazines before I arrived here.  We played games that they really enjoyed.  I am impressed by some of the kids abilities to pronounce words that are difficult for them because of the difference in letters stressed and how you pronounce certain letters.  I am getting to know my students better.  Some of them have relatives in the United States and 2 of them have been to the United States before.  They ask me lots of questions about where I am from and yesterday they finally asked me how old I was.  I had them guess and they guessed 22.  I laughed and said more in Spanish they went up until they hit my age.  Like everyone else here and at home no one can believe my age.

Well I need to get to my apartment before itīs late and I have Spanish homework and class preparation for tomorrow.  I am looking forward to this weekend.  Friday night I graduate from my Spanish school after 4 long weeks!  They are having a dinner with typical Guatemalen food.  Sunday I am going with the Spanish school to Chichicastenango (try saying this 3 times in a row fast!).  Chichi is very famous as a tourist destination in Guatemala because all the women from the mountains come down with crafts made by hand to sell to tourists.  They are apparently beautiful and cheap.  It is about 2 hours northeast of Xela.

Well have a great rest of the week.  And I will update you again very soon!

dianaj25

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