As I make my weekly mercado visits to Bambamarca, the closest
“big” city near my pueblo, I may hear the following statements in a combination
of English and Spanish from random people in the streets:
“Hello”
“I love
you”
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5….”
“Hey
baby”
“Where are you from?”
“Oooooh Baby”
Surprisingly enough, these don’t bother me too much anymore. I know I am in Latin America where “machismo” is alive and kicking, so I suppose I just turn a blind eye to what goes on around me—knowing I won’t be able to make much of a difference.
I’ve actually gotten so good at ignoring men that one time, a pack of young boys were whistling at me for about 20 minutes trying to get my attention. But since I thought that they were just being “boys,” I ignored them, until I actually started to listen to what they were saying, which was “You dropped your wallet!” Doh! I chastised them for not knowing how to respectfully get a woman’s attention, but alas, my wallet was lost forever. Ha.
So basically, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.
Luckily I don’t have to deal with that in my actual community of San Juan de Lacamaca. From the first day I got there, in front of a big crowd of people, the elementary school director told everyone to respect me as if I was their daughter. Awwww. So I’ve never had any problems, only from people who visit my town and aren’t from there, will I get hassled a bit.
But what I do have to deal with, which is something I despise, are comments from my community partners or host family. Comments that go like this:
“Wow Annie, you have really gotten fatter”
Surprisingly enough, these don’t bother me too much anymore. I know I am in Latin America where “machismo” is alive and kicking, so I suppose I just turn a blind eye to what goes on around me—knowing I won’t be able to make much of a difference.
I’ve actually gotten so good at ignoring men that one time, a pack of young boys were whistling at me for about 20 minutes trying to get my attention. But since I thought that they were just being “boys,” I ignored them, until I actually started to listen to what they were saying, which was “You dropped your wallet!” Doh! I chastised them for not knowing how to respectfully get a woman’s attention, but alas, my wallet was lost forever. Ha.
So basically, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.
Luckily I don’t have to deal with that in my actual community of San Juan de Lacamaca. From the first day I got there, in front of a big crowd of people, the elementary school director told everyone to respect me as if I was their daughter. Awwww. So I’ve never had any problems, only from people who visit my town and aren’t from there, will I get hassled a bit.
But what I do have to deal with, which is something I despise, are comments from my community partners or host family. Comments that go like this:
“Wow Annie, you have really gotten fatter”
“You must really like the guinea pig because
you are fatter”
“How much weight have you gained since being
here?”
“You can really tell that you have gained a lot
of weight” [while poking my stomach]
Weight is the weirdest thing here. Exercising in a gym is practically unheard of here; meanwhile people eat heaps and heaps of potatoes, rice, and noodles at the same time. So it’s not like there are super flaquitas walking around. In fact, the ladies that always mention my weight are the bigger ones. So I’m not quite sure why they are calling the kettle black! No?!
Depending on my mood, I answer differently. Sometimes, I agree and say “Yes, I do like fried guinea pig. I have eaten it a lot and now have gained weight.” Because let’s face it, it’s the truth. Women PCV’s gain weight and men PCV’s lose it. It’s just how it is. So sometimes I just try to go along and even joke with the women by saying “Yes, I have a potato child in my belly” or something like that.
But if I’m in a particularly bad mood, let’s say, I am not afraid to throw my wrath their way by saying “Look who’s talking?! It looks like YOU like fried guinea pig too!” or “you look like you’ve gained a few kilos yourself, no?” What comes around goes around.
I try to take the “cultural” approach and think about why they would say such a thing, when in the culture in the states it is absolutely taboo to speak about weight, especially to women! And I would have to say that sometimes here, people are just more open with their opinions and descriptions. They openly call people by how they look, such as “chino” (Asian), “negro” (dark), “gorda” (fat), “chato” (short), etc. So of course, weight fits under that category. Also, people are proud to be fatter, since that means they are rich enough to eat well, my host mom especially. I will have to watch her like an aguila to make sure she doesn’t pile on the rice and potatoes, when I only ask her for a little bit. She will even go as far as to turn her back to me, so that I can’t see her. So I guess, all and all, I don’t think they say it to be spiteful, but it still doesn’t mean I like it.
All I know is that the first thing I do when I go home is join a gym, so I guess I can thank the Peruvians for their added motivation. Just don’t call me fat or you might get an elbow to the face.
Weight is the weirdest thing here. Exercising in a gym is practically unheard of here; meanwhile people eat heaps and heaps of potatoes, rice, and noodles at the same time. So it’s not like there are super flaquitas walking around. In fact, the ladies that always mention my weight are the bigger ones. So I’m not quite sure why they are calling the kettle black! No?!
Depending on my mood, I answer differently. Sometimes, I agree and say “Yes, I do like fried guinea pig. I have eaten it a lot and now have gained weight.” Because let’s face it, it’s the truth. Women PCV’s gain weight and men PCV’s lose it. It’s just how it is. So sometimes I just try to go along and even joke with the women by saying “Yes, I have a potato child in my belly” or something like that.
But if I’m in a particularly bad mood, let’s say, I am not afraid to throw my wrath their way by saying “Look who’s talking?! It looks like YOU like fried guinea pig too!” or “you look like you’ve gained a few kilos yourself, no?” What comes around goes around.
I try to take the “cultural” approach and think about why they would say such a thing, when in the culture in the states it is absolutely taboo to speak about weight, especially to women! And I would have to say that sometimes here, people are just more open with their opinions and descriptions. They openly call people by how they look, such as “chino” (Asian), “negro” (dark), “gorda” (fat), “chato” (short), etc. So of course, weight fits under that category. Also, people are proud to be fatter, since that means they are rich enough to eat well, my host mom especially. I will have to watch her like an aguila to make sure she doesn’t pile on the rice and potatoes, when I only ask her for a little bit. She will even go as far as to turn her back to me, so that I can’t see her. So I guess, all and all, I don’t think they say it to be spiteful, but it still doesn’t mean I like it.
All I know is that the first thing I do when I go home is join a gym, so I guess I can thank the Peruvians for their added motivation. Just don’t call me fat or you might get an elbow to the face.
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