Bits and Pieces of Conversation

One of the dangers of traveling in a country like Guatemala is that people make assumptions about languages (and, to a lesser extend, politics). In San Pedro, if you have dark skin, you can speak the local Mayan language and Spanish, and probably not much English. If you're white, then you can speak English and probably at least a little Spanish (a very little in my case). Whites from non-English speaking countries, however, can get themselves into trouble by assuming that they are the only people around who speak their native language.

Yesterday, as I was going to dinner, I met a couple of Swedes who asked me if I was studying here. Apparently the notebooks and Spanish dictionary were an insufficient tip off. I said that I was and learned that they were planning to study for a week. I offered to take them to the school, show them the living quarters, and introduce them to the guy who runs it. When I opened the gate to the living quarters, three of the other students, including two Swedes, were sitting outside chatting. As we passed one of the other rooms, one of the students said something in Swedish, which I did not even notice. Today, out of the blue, he asked me if the two people I was showing around were Swedish. I said they were. He then mentioned that he had gotten a dirty look from the girl when he spoke in Swedish. As it turns out, he said, "She can sleep in my room any time." Needless to say, the new Swedes will not be studying at Casa Rosario.

Similar occurrances have taken place with politics. Those traveling here seem to naturally assume that every other traveler here is a communist too (kinda like in New York). As such, I can be rather amused by the political conversations I pick up, along the lines of "I'd love to see Bush taken out of the White House in handcuffs." Interestingly enough, the only non-native do-gooders I've actually seen in this town are from Alaska. You guessed it. Alaska's a red state.