Last weekend, I was lucky enough to get to escape from my city life and visit a another style of city life in Guayaquil. Now for any woman who has spent any amount of time Latin America, they can tell you all about the ridiculous, unrelenting, unnecessary amount of hissing, catcalls, smacking of lips, and other types of unwanted attention from the typical passerby. As I pounded the concrete of Gquil with my two best girls here in Ecuador, Liz and Molly, we had ample time to discuss and analyze all of this verbal harrassment (yes, that is what it is, let´s not sugar coat it anymore) nonsense.
There is some that is good, or should I say ok. Someone simply saying "que lindas ninas" as they pass by us. Because, hey, if I saw my girls and I walking down the street, I think that a simple declaration of "what cute girls!" might come flying out of my mouth too! We are cute girls! But then there is the ugly, bad, makes you feel either angry, or dirty, or some combination of the two, and usually leaves me with a scrunched up, stink face. It is the tone of voice, the look that accompanies it, a gesture, licking of lips, loud, wet, gross kissing noises from passing cars. It makes me want to scream with anger. And some times I do. And the worst part is. When I shout obsenities at these individuals, it validates them. They love it! The stark, raving, mad gringa reaction is exactly what they wanted...because it means I was listening. It worked. Me da rabia!!!!! (It makes me soooooo mad!)But this is what I am working with here...
One of the lovely Peace Corps volunteers that lives in Guayaquil has a lovely mantra to help her deal with this unwanted attention/harrassment. I am trying to adopt it into my daily life, 1)because I need something if I am going to live here 2 years as a PC volunteer, and if I am looking at a career abroad too... 2) becasue it makes me laugh, and you really need to be able to laugh at the situation. It goes a little something like this:
Man yelling catcall : "Que rica nina!!!!"" (hiss hiss, kiss, smack, hiss hiss)
Calm, cool collected PCV: "I know, right!?" (said with sarcasm, because come on!)"I am a tasty woman. See, that is why I love men. They are so observant!"
As you walk away from the catcalling man, saying this, you can´t help but crack up. Admit it. It´s funny! Well it´s making my week at least! Ha haa ha!!!
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