Maria and I talked about the effects of my accident
(specifically impaired bowel/bladder function) and whether that was a problem
in my relationships. Given that I only have one data-point, I could not give
her a thorough answer. Maria talked about her abortion when she was 30 years
old, how she had her uterus and ovaries removed, and how her partner (he was
already married) left her as a result. Her first child was also born out of a
relationship where she was with a married man. I can’t imagine living a life
like hers. We are so privileged; it almost makes me feel incredulous at my
relative good luck.
Maria told me that I was the only person to do anything for
her 50th birthday last Friday – that made me sad and ticked off that
she isn’t appreciated more. I gave her some money, a small present and a cake,
and even that, I thought, was not enough. Acxa didn’t even acknowledge her
birthday – no well wishes, no Happy Birthday, no gifts...it makes me dislike
her even more. Unfortunately she stays in the adjacent room so it is hard to
avoid contact with the cow.
I feel incredibly immature in Guatemala – so many people
have families by the time they are in their early-mid 20’s. I know it isn’t
that uncommon in the US but at least in my peer group, the vast majority of
people do not have children or are not yet married. I know I couldn’t have
handled taking care of kids in my 20’s, and I don’t think I could right now.
I am currently learning about the preterit and imperfect
tense and their respective uses, especially the imperfect. However, in order to
convey the uses of the imperfect tense mi
maestra kept asking me about details of my accident: what date did it take
place, what day, what time etc. I went along with it, but it still elicited
some powerful feelings in me as I recalled that day and those memories. At
least now, I can speak the facts without breaking down and crying, as I did in
those early months.
No comments:
Post a Comment