While working with the children in Guatemala, particularly on my first trip, I had funny experiences because of my blonde hair. Many of the younger children had not seen anyone with blonde hair before, and those who had still thought I was an anomaly. They would call me “rubia,” which is “blonde” in Spanish. The babies, especially, found enjoyment in pulling my ponytail.
Another experience I had due to my race was when I made lunch with the children waiting to be seen for the medical clinics on my second trip to Guatemala. Because there were so many sandwiches to make, I made peanut butter and jelly everyday. Most of the children had never had PB&J before, but they devoured them as soon as they tasted them. To explain to the other children where they could get their sandwiches, they would point to me and say “gringo.”
Identify several pre-conceived notions that you had about the country/culture you visited and describe experiences that either served to confirm or challenge these notions.
Before going on my first trip to Guatemala, I was nervous about interacting with the children and adults because of my limited knowledge of Spanish. However, I found that everyone I worked with was very tolerant of Americans who did not know Spanish, and they were patient, eager to understand what you were saying. This gave me the confidence to use what little Spanish I did know to convey what I was trying to say. They would look at my hand gestures, facial expressions, etc. to comprehend me.
Another preconceived notion that I had before going on my second Guatemala trip was that the locals would not have much access to health or dental care. This proved to be very true, and I experienced this sad reality during my work with the dental clinic. Although the clinic was originally only for children of the malnutrition centers in the San Juan area (due to limited workers, space, and time), families began seeking treatment too. Instead of turning down their requests, we first saw the children then helped family members who were in pain and needed immediate attention. Most of the children, and even some mothers, we saw had never been to a dentist before. Since the clinics were free, we had patients lining up outside the door before we even arrived at the clinic at 8:30am. Our system for seeing patients was based on numbered cards that they received at the door, designating whether they were here to see the dentist, doctor, and/or eye doctor. However, since several other people in the town of San Juan wanted medical attention, patients began switching numbers or making up cards with their own numbers in order to be seen. We treated as many people as we were able to a day, taking only a 30 minute lunch break, but it was difficult knowing how many people wanted the free medical care.
My last preconceived notion before each of my trips concerned the children I would be working with. I expected them to be, and would have definitely understood if they were, downtrodden and depressed or angry due to their circumstances. Many were malnourished, orphaned, and all lived in poverty. However, the children were joyful, playing games with each other, just like children I babysit in the U.S. They did not seem to have any concept of their poverty, having only know their surroundings for their whole lives. Their contentment was a sharp contrast to spoiled children in America who complain if they do not have the newest videogame.
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