Unbelievably enough, I only have 3 more days of work! Things are noticeably winding down. I'm caught up on everything, and am now just waiting on two of my participants to get released from the hospital so I can do my final interviews.
In beginning to reflect on my overall experience on the border this summer, I have identified my favorite and least favorite aspects of life here on the border:
Low: Macho Culture
I realize that sexism exists everywhere and that it is manifested in a multitude of ways. However, for one reason or another, this summer, the machísmo of Mexican/Hispanic men in particular has really, really bothered me. I hate having men "ch-ch" at me on the street. (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I'll just have to demonstrate for you because there's really no good way to describe the awkward whistle used generally by Hispanics/Latinos to get someone's attention.) I hate being told to wear long pants when it's 105º and sunny so that I receive less undesired attention. I hate seeing men literally stop on the sidewalk to look at my butt, or at the butts of other women walking by. I hate hearing men make comments about my body while I'm at the gym. By no means is it every Mexican/Hispanic man, and by no means is objectifying women unique to this population. But it is absolutely disgusting. Can you imagine if I, as a woman, objectified men's bodies in this way? I'm not really sure why I put up with it, other than the fact that I don't quite know what a good retort would be.
High: Southern Hospitality
One thing I've always loved about spending time with Hispanics/Latinos is the culture of hospitality. While my experience has taught me that many gringos thrive on the "by invitation only" idea, our neighbors to the south have the philosophy of "the more the merrier" when it comes to social gatherings. For example, last Sunday evening, I attended a birthday party for a member of the Labor Justice Committee's daughter. I wasn't actually invited, but two of my good friends here were, and they both saw it fit to invite me. There were at least 50 guests present, along with a water slide, trampoline, piñata, and enough food to feed a small army. I don't think I even met the birthday girl, who was turning 6 or something, but our host went completely out of his way to make the 3 gringo guests feel welcomed. We received a special tour of the house, which he and his family had re-modeled to become a 2-family home (with his sister's family living in the other half). We were also introduced to all the adult members of the family, and people were always coming over to where we were sitting to make sure we had enough to eat and drink. The party was clearly a time to bring together the entire family and all of their friends and neighbors, and at 9pm when I left, the end was nowhere in sight. I think my favorite part of the event was how many people showed up with an extra table or a few chairs. All are welcome indeed. I can't help but wish my country would show a little bit more hospitality to this population as a whole.
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