It´s Happening Again!

I am bloody speaking Spanish. I speak it like a very small isolated child with a learning disability....but I speak it. Had a relatively long conversation with my host family at lunch. There was only the two of them and one other women who speaks even less than I do so there was some space to talk. Usually there are several students that talk very quickly and notice not the confused, bored expressions of those of us who are struggling. "Um, hola." As we did last year, my teacher and I spend a lot of time laughing. I am a big goof doing things like pointing out that "mejor" (which means ´the best thing´) sounds like "me whore." My teacher thinks I am nuts. Can´t imagine doing it any other way than laughing through it all. I might like laughing more than sex....wait, what the hell am I saying! That is what we here in Guate call A JOKE! But laughing AND sex, now that´s just heaven. Antigua feels incredibly familiar and relaxed. Many folks remember me from last year, even a waitress at a favorite retaraunt. It´s very sweet. But there is always the shadow side. My house is at the southern end of the city on a quiet street with little traffic. My housemate was, in the course of a few weeks, the victim of three attemted muggings. She fought back twice...once lost her cell phone and once was interupted by someone coming around the corner so the would-be robber left before getting anything from her. In one instance she was wacked-up-side the head. I keep my money in about four different places on my person. And at night, even early in the evening, I take cabs. My house last year was closer to the town center and I walked home alone at night except after about midnight. I was hyper aware and would wait or reroute if a street was emty or had no open businesses. As the economy tanks the most vulnerable are the poorest countries and people. And Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in all of Latin America. There will be less revenues for an already neglectfull government, fewer monies for NGOs working piece-meal to offer the most basic supports for the poorest people and orphans. And as the abstract notions of plumiting stockmarkets manifest into the reality of a world-wide reccesion, the most desperate will become more desperate. When I travel in Latin America I am always humbled and filled with gratitude for all that fate has allowed me to have and know. Only a fool would not. More later. PS Sorry for no spell check.