Day 10: Talking to Strangers

7:30 pm

This morning I went out into the town to see if I could find some kids to talk to. The thing is, none of them would talk to me. That actually makes me very happy. I was very worried about them being out there by themselves, and, I mean, I know that I'm not some sort of psycho, but they don't know that. So I would probably be very worried if they all agreed to talk to me. I talked to three kids, and they all told me their names and their ages and what they were selling and that was it. I guess the majority of my field research will have to wait until I get out in the countryside and I'm properly introduced. That's fine. I'm just glad that those beautiful kids know not to talk to strangers.

I'm having a hard time putting my finger on the rules of ettiquite in this town. The one thing I do have mastered, though, is passing people on the sidewalk. The sidewalks here are extremely narrow; really only wide enough for one person across. In America, foot traffic mostly follows the same pattern as car traffic; everyone stays to the right. But here in San Miguel, they don't base their patterns of motion on left or right, they base it on who is closer to the street. Whoever is closer to the street usually has to step all the way off into the street to let the other pass. The men, especially polite old men, cut to the street side and step off while wishing you good afternoon. With women it's a little trickier. I try to step into the street whenever possible, especially if the lady has kids with her. But sometimes people act shocked when I do that, mostly because it seems that the Americans in this town bash around without a lot of thought to who has to step in the street for them. It seems like a gesture of great respect to step into the street for someone, and I don't think that people expect that much respect from someone as obviously American as me.

Erendira and Johanna, our two Hispanics, and Aneesha, who is Indian, but also darker skinned, with dark hair, have mentioned that they get a lot of looks at their feet, because they wear flip-flops and sandals most of the time, which is a very American thing. People can tell that they're American by their feet. But me? Nobody ever looks at my feet. Even if I wore the most Mexican shoes in existence, I wouldn't blend in. But that's fine. It's kind of odd, getting all those stares and catcalls, though... Something that never happens in the States. The other day, a woman passed me on the sidewalk with a little boy of about 5 years in tow. When they passed me, the boy turned as they walked and kept staring at me long after they passed, mouth hanging slightly open, eyes wide, as the woman kept pulling on his hand. "Stop staring!" she chided him in Spanish. "But, Mama, she's beautiful," he said. How's that for a self-esteem boost? hehe

Then, this afternoon, just as I was about to give up on finding any kids to talk to in the city, on my way up the block to my new apartment I was all but accosted by a few neighbor kids that I always see playing in the alley. I always say hi, but today they finally got over their shyness and asked to play and speak English with me. As it turns out, 9-year-old Fer and her 2-year-old brother Alejandro have a father that just returned from the United States and 7-year-old Pablo and his 4-year-old sister Sofia have a father and 2 uncles who live in the States now and paint houses. Rodolfo and Kris, I gave them a packet of those M&Ms you gave me and some of the Symphony bar. Instant friends. We spent the whole afternoon together, drawing pictures, teaching each other words, and talking about our families. It was amazing. The thing is, though, these kids don't know not to talk to strangers... or, better yet, to take candy from them. At least they were closer to home, though. And they were amazing kids.

Tonight I trekked all the way across town with Aneesha, Erendira, Clea, Erica, and Simone to the only Blockbuster in town and rented Nicotina. None of us know what it's about, but it has that adorable guy from Havana Nights and Y Tu Mamá También, so it can't be all that bad. At least that was our reasoning. I'll let you know how it turns out. Have a good Friday night, everyone! Peace be with you!