Today I felt happy and calm in Maracaibo for the first time. I had just arrived to work (by bus) and realized that I was quite comfortable.
Yesterday I took the bus by myself for the first time. The day before yesterday I was accompanied by an Aiesecer, Veronica, who was kind enough to warn me about not wearing jewlery or displaying my mobile in public etc. Sweet, I don´t know how she imagines that I survived the first month and a half. No, I really should be grateful when people give adivce. So, anyways, when I took the bus for the first time by myslef (yesterday) it was a show. When the bus arrived on the stop there was a guy (this is common) hanging out the door. I thought he was the one we are supposed to pay. but it turned out that he wasn´t. Well, so he asks me immediately: where are you going. I said: I don´t know the name, and went in. They never (as far as I know and I asked some people about this afterwards) ask you upon entering where you are going, so this guy was just ..well, wanted to say something. So, I enterd the bus and sat down. Everybody started looking at me. They would turn around every two minutes to look at me. I felt awkward in the extreme. Then I asked the driver to stop and got out and that was it. I don´t know why everybody was staring at me. Today I took the bus again and nobudy payed me any special attention.
I find it difficult not knowing what the proper way is to react to people´s remarks. Here someone yells (whistles or gestures) after me on the street every day. It´s unbelieveble. Once I got a blow kiss (?) from a guy on a bus, which was quite sweet, once a guy called me hermana (sister), today two older men talked to me, one said good afternoon, madame (buenas, seniora) and the other one I could not understand. Then some guys called me "morena", which means something like dark girl, and when I did not react (or I don´t really know if they expected me to react, I don´t think so) thay said, "gringa" instead. And once a beggar woman started calling after me in streetlights, which was quite uncomfortable.
So...still feeling a bit awkward, and I don´t know if I will ever feel totally at home here. We´ll see. I´ll let you know.
Yesterday I took the bus by myself for the first time. The day before yesterday I was accompanied by an Aiesecer, Veronica, who was kind enough to warn me about not wearing jewlery or displaying my mobile in public etc. Sweet, I don´t know how she imagines that I survived the first month and a half. No, I really should be grateful when people give adivce. So, anyways, when I took the bus for the first time by myslef (yesterday) it was a show. When the bus arrived on the stop there was a guy (this is common) hanging out the door. I thought he was the one we are supposed to pay. but it turned out that he wasn´t. Well, so he asks me immediately: where are you going. I said: I don´t know the name, and went in. They never (as far as I know and I asked some people about this afterwards) ask you upon entering where you are going, so this guy was just ..well, wanted to say something. So, I enterd the bus and sat down. Everybody started looking at me. They would turn around every two minutes to look at me. I felt awkward in the extreme. Then I asked the driver to stop and got out and that was it. I don´t know why everybody was staring at me. Today I took the bus again and nobudy payed me any special attention.
I find it difficult not knowing what the proper way is to react to people´s remarks. Here someone yells (whistles or gestures) after me on the street every day. It´s unbelieveble. Once I got a blow kiss (?) from a guy on a bus, which was quite sweet, once a guy called me hermana (sister), today two older men talked to me, one said good afternoon, madame (buenas, seniora) and the other one I could not understand. Then some guys called me "morena", which means something like dark girl, and when I did not react (or I don´t really know if they expected me to react, I don´t think so) thay said, "gringa" instead. And once a beggar woman started calling after me in streetlights, which was quite uncomfortable.
So...still feeling a bit awkward, and I don´t know if I will ever feel totally at home here. We´ll see. I´ll let you know.
posted by Larubia at 4:00 PM
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