Physical discomforts I don’t mind much, be it cool showers, a flat cushion for a pillow, or the daily presence of insects (and more-legged creatures) in my room. I’ve observed my family so that I could, too, do as the Ticos do—watch the electricity and water usage, bed early and rise early, not flush toilet paper down to prevent drain cloggage, or wash clothes by hand.
However, living the life of another culture is not just about adapting physically to one’s environment. It’s also about adjusting to how people tend to perceive each other and react to those perceptions. It’s about how one communicates with another (and it’s not just about learning the language, although that is a huge step). While I have been forewarned about some things I would observe in the culture here, I don’t think a day goes by when something happens to take me by surprise.
If you have slanted eyes, you might be called “chino”. Actually, anything Asian might be referenced as “chino”. And if you’re a little overweight or a little slender or darker in skin tone, you’ll be called “gordo” or “delgado” or “negro”. And of course, many of us “gringos” live in San Francisco. Many Ticos openly describe others by their physical appearance. While the concept is a bit refreshing, I’m a little disconcerted each time someone across the street shouts, “chinita linda!” For example, the beautiful Japanese park a little east of the school is officially known as Parque Okayama. However, almost everyone calls it “Parque de Chino”. One man actually stopped his car while backing out to ask me:
--Senorita, es usted japonesa?
--No, mis padres son coreanos, y yo vivo en los estados unidos.
“Te amo, guapa.” One doesn’t have to be dressed immodestly to receive the preceding comment. Sometimes one only has to be a female and walking on the street to receive air kisses, cat calls, hisses, or other forms of attention from certain men. I think it’s the one thing I truly dislike about the culture—that such machismo behavior is widely accepted. I was positively livid to see one aggressive man approach a beautiful young Josefino and get in her face as she was walking and trying to ignore him. My favorite comment? “You are beautiful queens, guapas,” from a Rastafarian riding his bike down the main road in Puerto Viejo.
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4 comments:
Yung had the same reaction to being called "chino" while we were in Cuba.
Welcome to most of the developing world (a few developed countries). I am used to the cat calls, though, to be fair, I don't have to experience it directly. In fact, I'm so unused to objectification it feels strangely nice when it happens.
I think Asian (East Asian) cultures are most exotified (new word) in many African places, like when I took Elisa around in Ghana. I would put rural Latin America next. Likewise, I'm most exotified in East Asian places (especially rural). In places like Korea, Japan, and China you have instances of sensationalism of African-American subcultures be it in clothing or music like hip-hop. People have come up to me just to ask me to dance due to my skin color.
But none of it bothers me, really. I just take it and ride with it. And believe me some of my friends have abused the privilege in certain countries (I'm speaking of guys, of course).
So I should just ride with it? I think it bothers me that I don't really stand up for myself when it happens. ;)
I SO know what you're talking about!! This is one of the reasons why I needed to come back to the States for awhile. The harassing just gets draining. I am obviously a muzungu or branco (white person), but even if they were to peg your culture correctly, it's still plain rude to call out to someone on the street according to their skin color or ethnicity. I can't tell you how many times I've goth yelled at people on the street, like you did to the guy who said, "Konichiwa", and given my colleagues lectures about the inappropriateness of calling someone muzungu on the street. Way to go for speaking up.
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