July 14, 2013. Today I went arriba to snag Lili. The plan? Sneak off to the finca where we could steal mango and limón. It was a secret mission that almost failed haha. We went and the guy that works there that told us to come early in the morning wasn't there. We back tracked and threw rocks to get a few mangoes and I climbed the tree to help out (don't know why but climbing a tree made me really happy). Soon after, however, the roar of a moto gave away his whereabouts and we returned to the farm. He let us in and bags in hand we wandered the whole farm looking for ripe mangoes and lemon. The bags were so huge we had to double them up and even then, mine broke while trying to hold it like a baby. But with much sweat, mud, and blood, we made it back without letting one fruit get left behind :). Mission accomplished. Mangoes for at least two days and jugo later. Win.
I then went back home to change and with a promise of going to the river, I excitedly put on my swimming clothes (we don't wear bathing suits for that). I ate and we waited for the rest of the group to come. But then... Lili said she didn't have permission. So we went up to ask (of course I had to since I'm the American) and of course, she said no... Instead we went to the smaller river close by where Lili bathes everyday. We swam, ate mango, and I got made fun of. A lot. I've noticed this is a thing they love to do. Whether it be for my mosquito bites, white skin, how I'm getting fat and have bigger hips now (that's a popular one), how I wet my hair everyday, how I eat mango wrong, how I eat avocado, how I'm always saying "Me gusta," the Spanish words I say wrong or simply my accent... I could go on. They particularly attacked me today at the river; not quite sure why. I started to really feel it... Tears threatened to come but I kept myself under control and just sat on a rock silently while David played with my hair. I guess they didn't notice since they continued for a while but then Lili started laughing. Like a witch and was purposefully obnoxious. For whatever reason I thought this was funny and started laughing. Hard. And then... I snorted. WELL. As if they didn't have enough to pick on me for, I just handed them another on a silver platter. And you know what? I kept laughing. But this time at myself along with them. Seriously. I'm an American living with Dominicans who have only ever heard of (or seen on TV) people like me (or maybe passed by one). But now they've had one in their community for about two months and she half speaks their language, says she's here to help teach, sits in chairs funny, likes everything, laughs a lot, says thank you too much, is often silent, plays a lot of cards, has white skin, and is attacked my mosquitoes. How could they not laugh? And how am I not laughing at this fact every single day here? Haha Honestly. As soon as I snorted, it was like I slapped myself in the face and said, "Julie. They're not making fun of YOU. They're making fun of the idea of you because you're foreign to them." They don't know me yet and don't understand me enough to make fun of the actual me. We've got two years to fix that. And if they continue to make fun of me then, at least I'll feel at home since that's what it was like in the states, anyways ;) And by then we'll be enough like family and I'll be fluent enough to dish it right back.
Yea, it'll still bug me from time to time; I don't think I can fully heal from that reality. But I just have to remember that it is pretty funny. The whole idea of me being here. I love them all just the same and I hope they feel that way too (or eventually will).
Buenos noches.
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