Now I have heard of some strange things in my life, but tonight when my host mom told me we were going to eat breakfast with “the difuntos” in the morning and I googled “difuntos”[…]
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Category: Host Family
Pica | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
You know “pica” because you know “picante,” right? The first time I heard “pica” was actually in regards to a mosquito bite. My host mom and I just found each other in the courtyard. The[…]
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La Chiflada | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
Amanda is my first CBT friend. CBT is culture-based training, it just means the 9 weeks we live in a community and learn Guatemala. They have acronyms for everything because government. I am very lucky because[…]
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Machista | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
La cultura machista has come up several times, with my host mom and my first Profe Eduardo. Our Training Director doesn’t ever use that term, she only says that there are defined gender roles and[…]
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Dar a Luz | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
One day I asked my host family over lunch what the phrase is for “Give birth.” My mom responded with: “Dar la luz.” I almost lost my mind. “Dar la luz?” Well first of all,[…]
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La Mera Mera | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
La Mera Mera is slang for “Big Boss Lady.” My first ‘Profe,’ Eduardo, taught us this word. I knew instantly that my host mom is La Mera Mera. I knew my host family wouldn’t be expecting[…]
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HOW I FEEL (in Guatemala) | Tragedy in Threes & Ceremonies in Three Hours
One time, not too long ago and not long enough, I came home from work and a realization unhatched with great gusto: Carlton, my cat, had fleas. I’d been noticing him itch more than usual but it[…]
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El Mosquitero | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
El Mosquitero is a mosquito net. This can also refer to a screen door. In my case, it is a square shaped canopy that incarcerates me in my bed chamber at night. One of the[…]
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La Pila | Guatemala at Home
La Pila is a concrete institution of every casa Guatemalteca. It’s a sink with three sections: a side designated for washing laundry and another side designated for dishes/los trastos. The usable water sits in the[…]
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Paciencia | 75 Palabras in Guatemala
Paciencia. I need paciencia with the pace of culture, paciencia with learning Spanish, paciencia with my life direction, with jogging slowly instead of sprinting. So much patience required here. The pace here is hardly comparable[…]
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