Ojos asi

I have some interesting conversations with my Spanish teacher (mi maestra):

Maestra: En Guatemala, se llama la gente como ojos asi (demonstrating chinky eyes with her fingers) ¨china¨or ¨chinita.¨(In Guatemala, we call people with eyes like these ¨Chinese¨or ¨little Chinese girl.¨)

Yo: En los Estados Unidos hay on fraso ¨politico correcto.¨ Y no es politico correct les llama algunas ¨chinitas.¨(I think I said (very badly): In the United States there is a phrase called ¨political correctness.¨ And it isn´t politically correct to call someone ¨little Chinese one.¨)

Maestra: Ah. Pero en Guatemala es normal. No es ruda. Es broma. (Ah. But in Guatemala it is normal. It isn´t rude. It is a joke.)

Yo (in my head, not out loud): Oh really? I wonder how funny Guatemalans think it is that in the U.S. some people call Latinos mojados (wetbacks). Feel free to call me chinita if you are ok with me calling you a mojada.

Yo (what I really said): Bien. Cuando en Roma....

***

On my second day of class, after I told her my ethnicity is Korean, my maestra spent about half an hour explaining to me that in Guatemala, Koreans are looked upon badly and that relations between Guatemalans and Koreans are muy mal. Apparently a lot of Korean businesses set up fabricas (factories) in Guatemala and either skip out of town before paying wages or force workers to take poor wages without allowing for any negotiation.

***

This morning my host mother said to me: Que bonita su vestido! Las chicas como tu siempre ponen la ropa con colores vividas. (Your dress is so pretty! Girls like you always wear clothing with vivid colors.)

Yo: Chicas como yo? Americanas? (Girls like me? Americans?)

Señora: Ay, no. *pause* *pause* *pause*

Yo: Ah. Chinas? Coreanas? Japonesas?

Señora: Si, si! La ropa de americanos son aburridas. Pero Chinas, Coreanas, Japonesas...siempre tienen ropa bonita.

***

I´m trying to download some pictures. But I am technologically retarded. Which is probably not a politically correct thing to say, but I´m in Latin America so anything goes.