Profe (Pro-fay) is the name for a male teacher in Guatemala.
His Peace Corps title is LCF- Language and Cultural Facilitator. But I am not about to call that man LCF. He is my Profe.
There are other titles like: Seño for a female teacher (short for Señorita), Licenseado(a) for someone with a bachelor’s degree, and Maestre for someone with a Masters.
I met Eduardo on our first day of language class. It was still preliminary- they were having an hour long class with us to confirm our language level. Tanya, Galen and I sat in a small classroom and spoke with Eduardo as he wrote on the board.
Using Spanish felt like trying to crank an engine that wouldn’t start. I felt nervous, embarrassed, self-conscious, competitive and like a failure. These were only expectations I was putting on myself, but I loved high school SO MUCH in college and got lots of academic recognition for my enthusiasm over the language. Now I wish I could reach back for all those years of vocabulary and grammar, but my memories have eroded.
Eduardo told our group that we can simply call him ‘Eduardo.’
But I needed a hook, I needed to set myself apart because my inchoate Spanish wasn’t going to.
So I called my teacher ‘Mi Profe’ and he would say ‘Que manda?’ ‘Digame.’
Next week, we switch professors and I am going to miss him so..
He has been a great Profe to me and I am so grateful for all of his help.
Now, at the end of Week Three, I feel more confident with trying to say things and more aware of what I need to work on. I’ve recovered verbs I lost somewhere around ten years ago.
When Eduardo took us on a tour of his city, Ciudad Vieja, he told Amanda that when the store vendors see him with white people, his prices go up. At first I thought it meant when he was with us, but then I realized that he meant the prices go up permanently. “Oh, he works for white people. He must make more money than the average chapín. I am going to charge him more.” My poor Eduardo.
We really had a great time. He let me joke and ask questions and reminded me of conjugations and corrected my errors tirelessly. Deeper than that, he told our group interesting things we needed to know. What is different about out cultures, is it weird that we hug our professor at the end of class? How are Americans direct (we are too close to ourselves to know)? Also, he provided tremendous insight into the gender norms of Guatemala that may be difficult for us to adjust to. He’s worked with Cuerpo de Paz for 21 years, he knows how we think.
But I like that Profe could laugh at my ridiculous jokes “Hablando Español como una tortuga borracha” and take us on the bus for the first time and speak slowly and emphatically to ensure that we digested the message. He was an excellent, fabulous Profe.
We switch teachers next week and our group is getting Gladis. We will see how it goes!
Mi Profe,
Muchísimas gracias por todo tu ayuda. Aprendiendo Español era impossible para mi sin tu dirección y paciencia conmigo. Ha recuperado más confianza ahora y espero que visitarle en Ciudad Vieja cuando yo tengo la oportunidad en el futuro!
Mil gracias,
