Very few days pass without someone questioning where I´m from. When I first got to Guatemala, I immediately would respond with "Los Estados Unidos"…. But now, I like playing the game of where do you think I´m from… haha
Most people are like Cuba (because they are so used to all the Cuban doctors), however, I´ve gotten a few responses like Puerto Barrios, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Africa (of course), Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and most recently the Dominican Republic.
I, once to my surprise, even got an “I really don’t know because of the way you speak” - of course this one REALLY made me smile… to think that my Spanish has improved so much that it confuses people on where I might be is just fabulous! Hahah
Anyway, back to the topic at hand… I think it’s quite interesting that people are so interested in where I’m from AND that the United States is NEVER the first thing to come to mind. And when I respond with my proud stance of being an American, some people haven’t believed me. I mean, come on…would I really lie about it. No, but I find myself pondering why this is… Obviously, the first response is people from other countries only believe white people with blue eyes are Americans… but I seriously doubt this to be true. I mean I clearly haven’t asked (yet) what kind of people do you think come from the States… but people have to know Americans don’t all look the same.
But then I wonder is it just Me?…. But then again, I consider myself a very normal looking African American, with curly-natural hair, brown-skinned, and a not-so skinny body type. I guess I should, and I do, take it as a compliment that I could be considered a Latina, which is really weird typing it…haha but it is cool! But why is it so hard to be considered an American?
Being Black and a Peace Corps Volunteer and then Being a Black Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala are topics I never once considered before coming to Guatemala. However, since I’ve been here, I have definitely thought about it, a lot. Clearly, they both present different challenges, just like being a minority in the States-being a minority in Peace Corps is the same. One of Peace Corps’goals is to “help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.” And I guess I’m doing that (on top of answering all the weird questions about what kind of food we eat, what the weather is like, do we have to buy land or just the house, etc) by just being my friendly self and responding to that awesome question by a simple “Los Estados Unidos”
