Healthy Schools Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala since February 2013

Thursday, August 28, 2014

On (Not) Fitting In

I think this picture pretty accurately describes it.


Imagine that an alien lands in your town and wears similar-ish clothing. That's pretty much how they look at me. I feel like I am being stared at constantly (because I am). The thing is that I basically look like Guatemalans except that I dress differently, I use different styles of bags to carry my things, I have glasses, and I talk differently. I don't stick out here as much as some of my other taller or blonder friends, but I still definitely stick out. 

2 comments:

  1. You are blending in while standing out. Or is that standing out while blending in?

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  2. You might want to try an experiment: take off your glasses and wear the traditional Guatemalan dress for a week or two and see if you get a different reaction on the streets and in the schools of Guatemala. Might be fun to try and I think you would wear the traje well. Your comment about the uniqueness of glasses makes me wonder how many Guatemalan children have eye problems that might impact their ability to learn.

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