75 Words in Guatemala

La maña | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

September 6, 2017September 6, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

In 2015 my friend had a baby. Many of my friends have made a hobby out of birthing babies. It’s like my version of crafting. She told me that her mother-in-law, who is from Central[…]

Extravío | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

September 5, 2017September 5, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

Shortcut. I’d never heard the word. I think I looked it up one other time, but like imperfecto de subjunctivo, it didn’t stick. And the term I found wasn’t extravío, it was something else. In[…]

Terremoto | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

September 4, 2017September 4, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

In Guatemala, temblores/tremors are a part of life. Terremotos son otras cosas, they are earthquakes. Terremotos jumble the earth. My host family asked: “Do you have them in your home?” and la verdad es no,[…]

“Vaya” le dije yo | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

August 6, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

It’s hard to isolate single words and explain them, mejor usar frases o cuentas completas, because in this culture when I refer to something I learned I remember it in story form. Responses, answers and[…]

Buen Provecho | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

July 23, 2017July 23, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

“Feliz Cumpleaños” means Happy Birthday, but cumple means “you complete” + “years.” So the term is also used for death anniversaries or any anniversary, every time you complete a year… For example, on July 19[…]

Mucha Bulla | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

June 11, 2017June 11, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

When I moved to site, I treated myself to my first ever bluetooth, wireless speaker. I’m not one for keeping up on technology trends, not until they aren’t exciting and new anymore, then I consider[…]

Mujeron | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

May 20, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

I’m a new woman! Actually, I’m exactly the same. But I’ve had a Mayan makeover (I couldn’t resist the alliteration). I finally acquired a complete set of traje típico: güipil, corte and faja. A Güipil[…]

Significa | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

May 7, 2017May 7, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

I called from across the street to a man in a bright red shirt. I recognized something: the font of that familiar “KEEP CALM and CARRY ON” message. It said “KEEP CALM and TAKE ACTION.”[…]

Machismo | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

May 7, 2017May 7, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

This is about gender roles/roles de género as I see it. My writing shares my opinion, experience and reflections. I can’t speak for the whole country of Guatemala, in fact I don’t speak for Guatemala[…]

Creído | 75 Palabras in Guatemala

April 30, 2017April 30, 2017 First Person Foreign75 Words in Guatemala

After I moved in to my Santa Clara home, a lady in the market asked my host mom “So are you proud now?” In Spanish, estás creída? She’s referring to the time my host mom[…]