Last night (Tuesday) I returned to the house for a dinner of Cup of Noodle and a scrambled egg and rice patty. I am not sure if we ate this people it is common in the tiendas here or because they wanted us to eat something familiar. I still feel the same way about Cup of Noodle as I did when I ate it in middle school: worth it when you have little else. After dinner, I spoke to my parents and sister for the first time since I have been in Guatemala. I sensed the concern in their voice but our conversation was helpful to calm them (and you all) – yes, I have running water; yes, I have electricity; yes, I am being well taken care of. Then our host family gathered for a game of Phase Diez (10). Senora Patty, Jaki (pronounced Yaki, her daughter), Sergio (Jaki’s boyfriend), Hannah (other Somos Hermanos participant), Esteban (Tulane med student) and myself played for three hours. We laughed, picked on each other, and ate cookies from the Menonite Bake Shop (really good but only open on Tuesdays and Friday. I will probably also return here at some point to buy peanut butter). I feel much closer to my family now. I am sure there are many more games to come.
This morning (Wednesday) I went for my first run with Hannah. We met Geoff, Rachel, Sarah, and Molly at the school at 630am. We ran to the sports complex and back – about 40 minutes. This was quite a challenge considering the altitude, car exhaust, and lack of running recently. Sarah and I broke away from the speed demons and had a nice chat. When I returned to my house, my bed was made, laundry bag hung up, and trash taken out. This brings me to my first story about the women in Guatemala.
The women are incredibly humble and helpful. Senora Patty cooks, cleans, washes, and then does it again. She brings us a plate of food and does all the dishes after. She also cleans the bathroom and our rooms when we are out. She is often the last to eat and the last to bed. She wakes around 545am to prepare the tienda and breakfast. I do not know when she goes to market but I but love to accompany her to see what the experience is like. She spends most of her day cleaning and helping customers who come to the tienda (not an actual store but I window to a store room where you can buy eggs, candies, soda, and more).
In my class today, we talked a lot about women and health. Mi maestro Rosa and I spoke for nearly 40 minutes before we began our lesson. All the while she makes minor corrections to my Spanish or provides me with words I do not know. There is a lot of mauchismo that exists in Latin America and in Guatemala. The mother often works from home and the father leaves. This prevents young girls from attending school for as long or pursing careers that require extra schooling like medicine. The women are very conservative. They dress modestly and do not like to go to the doctor. They are fearful of medicine because there is not a lot of information passed along and most of the doctors are men and they do not want to reveal their bodies to a man other than their husbands. Mi maestro also mentioned the prevalence of domestic violence. There is a clinic here where Esteban volunteers who works with women and their children who live in violent homes. This violence can be attributed to mauchismo, drugs, and many other problems.
Side note story: Children are often sent to buy beer for their alcoholic parent (very prevalent, especially in the more rural areas) and will drink some themselves. They see their parents drinking it and think that it is okay. I want to learn more about this children alcoholics.
Another topic mi Maestra and I discussed in class was the prevalence of drugs and the community. Alcoholism is widely occurring in Guatemala because it is cheap. Other drugs, like marijuana and cocaine, are used but less common because they are more expensive. She mentioned inhalants are also used. I shared that the majority of the violence in Oakland revolved around drug trafficking. She agreed that this occurs in the capital as well. Also she said there is some drug addiction problems afflicting mothers who will send their children to collect money in any way necessary. If she has many children (as many as 8 or 9 or more), she cannot support all of these children so she will tell her children to rob someone else to get money for drugs and food. The trend of children developing interest in drugs and gangs because there are problems in the home is just as common in Guatemala as in the United States.
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