Funny things happen when I walk through my community. Yesterday, an unusually tiny 5 year old on his bicycle stopped me in my tracks when he insisted, in all seriousness, that I tell him next time I’m going to go running because he would like to go.
I’ve seen all number of funny English t-shirts since I’ve been here – “Fat people are harder to kidnap”, “Drunken Monkey Brotherhood”, and “Baby Girl” worn by a teenage boy are among the favorites – and I’ve even seen a few from USC, my alma mater. But today took the cake. Walking through my very own site, I saw a boy wearing a t-shirt that said Gatlinburg, Tennessee! I tried to explain the significance of it to him, but since most Dominicans think most Americans live in “Nueva Yol”, the relevance was a little lost.
And finally, one of the school professors walked past me as I was leaving my house. She was carrying a beautiful handful of freshly picked roses, and dressed in a way I thought totally hip and beautiful, lots of colors and a silk scarf wrapped around her hair. I wanted to remember her, just as she was, and since I had my camera in my purse, I asked if I could take a picture. Her first reaction was no way! I look so ugly right now! (i.e. I haven’t forced my hair straight and put on 8 inch glittery heels) She finally agreed to let me take a picture, but only after she had removed the head scarf, positioned herself in front of an iron gate, and assumed a facial expression that was anything but natural. I long ago realized that beauty ideals here are very different from mine, but just once I’d like to snap a candid shot without everyone stopping to pose.
1 comment:
Ahh I love the t-shirts you see!! And Gatlinburg is a special gem of course haha. I saw one USC shirt in Dar es Salaam, and I almost jumped on him with all my excitement. He couldn't have cared less
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