It's funny that after a year in this town I'm still interesting enough to warrant outright staring. Sure, staring in Mexico doesn't seem to be the taboo it is in the States, but nonetheless I think the outright gawking I experience every time I leave my house is a testament to the exciting times to be had in San Juan Cosalá. I realize it's mostly curiosity (boredom?), so I try not to let it get to me. A fun new twist, however, is a bit more of a drag. I've heard it a few times recently, and it more or less goes like this.
Mother and misbehaving child are somewhere near me - in the plaza, on the bus, in a store. Child is really getting on Mama's nerves. Mama has had it up to here. Mama points at me and says to her bratty child, "Look! If you don't stop crying/whining/misbehaving then that white woman is going to take you away!" Then the child shuts up and stares at me with fear and horror, and I (got to love this reaction) stupidly smile at the child and wave.
OK, maybe just the first time I did that. The second time I glowered at the woman who said it, and the third time I just sighed and probably looked peeved in a way that only intensified the child's fear.
Thanks, lady. I'm glad to help out with your little bratty kid, who now thinks I'm some kind of boogieman.
Maybe next time, if I have Hanix in tow, I'll just throw it back at her, like "Hanix, if you don't stop drooling all over yourself that Mexican lady there, the one with the annoying bratty child, is going to come over here and give you the evil eye". You know I won't do it, but I wish I were better at Spanish so I could eloquently tell those women to shove off.
Besides, what would I want with their bratty kid? Can't they see my massive manchild and his adorable chub?
OMG this is horrible. This is not something I have experienced but in my area there are a lot of "white" people. A lot of the heritage here is from Spain. I'm still amazed at how many red headed Mexicans there are around here.
ReplyDeleteThere are heaps of white American and Canadian retirees in the Ribera Chapala, mostly Ajijic, the town to the east. Even San Juan has its whitees, but I guess they mostly keep to their gated community up on the hill and don't venture down into "the village". I'm not sure, then, if people in San Juan just don't venture far enough from their homes, or maybe they're not used to young whitees, or maybe it's the novelty of seeing me in town (instead of in retiree-land), or that I have a baby, or who knows? Or maybe they are actually used to seeing whitees around, but it still instills fear and good behaviour in the children. I'm not sure, but I still didn't appreciate feeling like an ogre.
ReplyDeleteYou could say something to them to indicate like, "hey, I speak Spanish and I can hear you." Maybe it would start a fight but, I dunno, sometimes a fight is what you need.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe they do that! That is really crazy. Don't they notice your adorable and huge brown baby and think that maybe you might be an OK (not a horrible) white person. I really wish you could retort with something awesome, but probably it's not worth the potential hassle it might cause.
ReplyDeleteAt least you know that your baby could beat up their baby!
ReplyDeleteTrue. And if his thunder thighs don't get 'em, his shrill raptor shriek will throw them off their guard long enough for him to drool all over them. He's fierce in combat, to be sure.
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