Bolo is the Guatemalan slang term for drunk person. These people are usually found passed out lying on the sidewalk at all hours of the day (I mean early morning too) or if they are more highly functioning, stumbling down the street. There appears to be no laws against public drunkenness in this country nor social services that are in place to help these people (I'm sure there are in urban areas). The small rural town that I live in is predominantly Evangelical, so here, I am wary of any person (usually men) that I see drinking. It's not this black and white but in my town generally: you either don't drink or you have a problem. was one big change from living in the U.S.A.. In my town in Guatemala there is no such thing as having a casual drink or going out with friends for a drink on the weekends. Also I have noticed here that more men drink than women or that it is more socially acceptable for men to drink than women. The other side of this is that the vast majority of bolos that I have seen have been men. A week doesn't go by that I don't see at least one bolo and I believe that I have only ever seen one or two bolas (female bolos).
I generally try to stay far away from bolos because they are known to be molestones (botherers) and I don't usually take pictures because I find it very sad, but I took this one of a man who was passed out on the side of the road on my walk back from one of my schools. Also I went over and checked (from a distance) and he was alive.
They say that dogs are man's best friend, but not here in Guatemala. While dogs are generally mistreated it seems that chuchos (street dogs) are bolo's (drunk men's) best friends. If there is a man passed out on the street it is not uncommon to find a number of street dogs next to him.
I tried to take a picture of a cantina (extreme version of a dive bar where nothing is on tap and there are usually just drunk men sitting/standing around) without anyone inside of the cantina seeing me. So this will give you a rough idea about what they are like: dirty, poorly lit, cement floors, generally depressing and best to stay far away from.
Sad.
ReplyDeleteYou've commented before on the dramatically different gender roles of men and women in Guatemala and particularly the secondary status of women. Maybe the lack of bolas is at least a small positive that stems from this disparity. Or maybe the women are so busy taking care of the kids, cooking, cleaning and tending to the livestock in support of their bolo spouses they have no time--or money--left to drink.
Distressing.
ReplyDeleteCounselling Sydney workers help people tackle their drug, alcohol or solvent misuse problems. If you want to help people and you have an understanding of substance misuse issues, this job could be ideal for you. In this job you would need to be calm and caring, and able to build trust with vulnerable people.
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