a white person that is. i was really in the country, the motorcycle got a flat, i had to wait while my coworker went and got it fixed. so i sat on the side of the road. some kids were playing nearby, close to their homes. they saw me, as i stand out. they shyly looked at me from afar, avoiding any eye contact. then they got a little bit closer, still no direct looks, but i could tell they were extremely curious. then they dared to stand on the other side of the road and look directly at me. i said hi. they laughed. i asked how they were doing. they laughed. i asked what their names were. they laughed. then one daring 7 or 8 year old boy came right up to me. all he did was look at me, i think he was especially amazed at my blue eyes. all the others he'd seen in his entire life were brown. never had seen a white skinned person, never seen a person without dark hair. just laughed. finally started talking. when i asked them what their names were, they said "nothing". liars.
i told them i work for a local ngo. they told me they didn't believe me. i asked why. "porque su piel es blanco". because your skin is white. ha.
before leaving i asked the kid what he would be doing the rest of the afternoon. "tirar polvo" he said, which is "throw dust".
1 comment:
jake,
that is a fantastic story.
you should have told them that your skin turned white because you sat around kicking dust too much and that they should get a job. have a good one, cracker.
jdo
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