Antiqua

by Char Easter

© Cheryle Easter

© Cheryle Easter

12-27-02, Antigua

Basically, I’m in a third world country in dire need for all of their toilet paper to blow my nose. Living on fruit and yogurt, we’ve managed to avoid stomach disorders – thus far. Last night we ventured an Italian dinner (vegetarian) with lots of garlic and surly service. This morning, my waitress at the Internet café, is in the same surly state. When I told her I wanted coffee only, she snatched the menu off the cheery yellow tablecloth and turned sharply on her heel in a huff. No translation was necessary. Then she brought Cheryle a coffee and that cinched our discourse. Cheryle is emailing now. 1950s bebop Christmas music is playing over the speakers. I neglected to approve the aurality of the situation before settling in. I applied for a job on the Adobe website without looking at what country I’d be working in, on the remote chance I was hired.

We decided to brainstorm on a theme for our documentary. Defaulting to the obvious, we came up with, “Corporate exploitation of third world countries.” Or more apt, “Laid off, high-tech gringos escape to Guatemala.” We could explore Guatemala’s exotic nature, following the mystic patterns and colors that are infiltrating my being. Working title: “Guatemala’s sensual secret.” With all our wealth, what do they have that we don’t? Then there’s the coffee connection. We are, after all, at a source that supplies our espresso habit. We noticed children are shining shoes and selling to tourists along side their parents. “Child Professionals.” Why aren’t they in school?  I found out later that the kids were on their holiday break. We finally decided on a theme that fit our agenda, “Taking the bus to Tikal.” Our star would be revealed later.

JUANITA
A seven year-old girl named Juanita gave us an amazing performance today. Or was it real? In route to Panajachel that evening, we recounted the story to J&G. James concluded, “It’s gringo guilt” and called us suckers. He also told us we needed to be more polite. The mis-communication involved a 7-year-old girl named Juanita. The unfortunate exchange is hard to explain, mostly due to the language issue and that murky region between fact and fiction when it comes to “bullshitting the gringos.”

It began in the main square of Antigua. The morning cloud cover had burned off and vendors and tourists were milling about. A mixing of color and fabric across the two groups revealed their inter-relationship. The Guatemalan women and girls wore long colorful skirts. They embodied color. Gringos wore pale short ensembles adorned with a dot of color from their newly purchased souvenirs, like a drably marked female birds wearing costume jewelry.

maria

Cheryle had taken a Polaroid snapshot of a girl named Maria. I was sitting on bench across the park talking to Juanita. She casually ate her lunch while balancing a large basket of tourist trinkets on her head. We wandered over to join Cheryle and Maria. For the record, this is where I lost my straw hat. I made a search around the area but realized I was up against people working the streets for survival. It’s gone.

I was considering buying one of Juanita’s bracelets when Diego, another ware-bearing kid, shows up. The transactions soon became a flurry of negotiations and mind changing as the inevitable sale drew near. Somehow it ended that instead of me buying a bracelet from Juanita, I’d buy something from Diego, and Cheryle would buy the bracelet from Juanita. I can’t remember our exact logic, but we planned it as a fair exchange.

Juanita, on the other hand, did not find it one bit logical or fair. In a fit, she stubbornly dumped all her beaded trinkets on the ground and started lacing them up on the string that held them together for transport. She was done with us and she wouldn’t talk. We tried to buy something. She ignored us. We tried to get the story from Diego but he didn’t know. We finally left, confused and feeling horrible that we had upset her. As we were walking down the street we noticed Diego and Juanita behind us. But when we looked their way, they pretended not to notice.

The situation was so distressful; we decided to find out what went awry. Confronting them, Diego explained that (in Spanish) Juanita was offended that I decided to buy from him instead of her. Cheryle had thought it involved her taking a photograph of Maria instead of her. To patch things up, we covered all bases: Cheryle snapped a Polaroid and gave it to her and I bought a bracelet from her and Diego.

No “God bless Guatemala” stickers here

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