File Cabinets, Attics, Safety Glasses and Dust Bunnies

{Editorial - On the lighter side}
The other night, my husband handed me a pair of really nice safety glasses with magnification at the bottom of each lens. I looked across the room...OK, then down at my hand through the magnification. Hmm....I had a nice little scratch on my thumb. File that under "minor injuries I did not notice...when did that happen?" It had me thinking....I've had many "editorials" that have been abandoned because of time constraints or the fact that they might end up being too long. I tend to want to focus on the ENTIRE adoption situation in Guatemala. However, that might take a book rather than an entry on this page. Besides, we really need to back up occassionally and talk about cultural issues as new readers jump on the site.

This time, I wanted to start with a few analogies I found rather fun when I first started traveling internationally.

Filing it Away - This is the process of "noting" an interesting tidbit that might have shocked you, you found contrary to your beliefs or you simply thought might be relevant to a particular subject. It is the action of realizing that it is important, but without judgement. It can contain those "Ah-Ha's" as well as information that you don't know what to do with. A well-traveled friend of mine introduced me to this concept. She would take index cards and write her "tidbits" down. At the top, was a set of keywords like "Australia", "Rare Animals" and then the tidbit of information. She never put it on computer, but her kids later would rifle through her information and come up with ideas on reports for school.

In the Attic (culture and history) - is a concept of putting life history in perspective. Think about the contents of your attic, basement or other storage area in your house...you could probably get a pretty close description of what is in there without looking. Chances are, you could also give the history and a little story behind some of those items. Now, name everything in your neighbor's attic. The attic concept is a reminder that you may not know everything about the history of another person...or country. Reading books about a topic (such as the history of Guatemala) certainly help. But our understanding is limited by lack of being there.

Glasses (Safety Glasses) - Looking forward and around (perspective). It is the basis for decisions that are made via perceptions. It is also the ability to see cause and effect. Whose glasses are we wearing? What are we focusing on? What are "they" focusing on? Example: Couples who are adopting their first child may talk in terms of THEIR feelings and desires prior to adopting. On visits, they are focused on what is best for them....but are these things best from the perspective of the child (FYI: I am pro-visit, but decisions while visiting should be thoughtful of the child).

Dust Bunnies - This is the layer of dust that distorts ones perceptions. It is the rhetoric or the disguise that hides the true nature of anything (including attic treasures and glasses). Dust Bunnies make things fuzzy and indistinct, they even clog your ears. Dust Bunnies dull the colors and they have no real value to discussions except to misguide the recipient. Dust bunnies can be vague comments or they can be obvious strategies to distort views. An example might be the rumors of Organ Harvesting. This myth has reared its ugly head in Latin American and was purposefully used to frighten locals about why North Americans adopt their children. Even DOS denounced it after an investigation came up with nothing.

Sparkle - May be embedded in Dust Bunnies but also can be used independently. It is the verbaige or methodology that is used to "attract" attention. It is not necessarily derogatory. For instance, if I wrote a book about Guatemala...I would want to use the Maya colors as "sparkle" to my cover. Journalists (looking for the most scadelous angle on any story) will use words like "Baby Factory" or "Exporting thousands of Babies" to attract attention. While we might consider these borderline dust bunnies, they are certainly embedded with the Sparkle word-play.

Why the Analogies?
Its experimental. Years ago, when a co-worker introduced me to these analogies, I rolled my eyes. But then I found myself leaning over to whisper "Dust Bunny" during a techie seminar. So, it was catchy. We had quite a few more...but these few come to mind when I talk about adoptions and Guatemala. Lets do a little sample bit of Filing...I have mentioned some of these before, but we'll rehash.

A card in my Guatemalan File Cabinet
A common "thing" in Guatemala is for young baby girls to have their ears pierced. Actually, this is common in many Latin American countries. In Costa Rica, I believe this happens at the hospital close after birth. This is quite different from the US where many caucasion parents might feel it is improper until a certain age. But a young girl without pierced ears is almost considered freakish.

Hmmm, here's one...
Why do some babies have their head shaved?
Because there is a general belief that the hair grows back thicker.

Bundling babies is a common practice in Guatemala. While some can go to extremes, it is something that a new adoptive parent should consider when visiting or picking up their child....ie: the child is used to VERY warm clothing. While sleeveless shirts might be fine for you in Guatemala, it is almost scandelous for your adopted child!

In the Attic - culture (lets see who can answer these questions in the comments...I can answer some, but not all)
How many Mayan languages are spoken in Guatemala? What is the most common? How many *trbes* still have men wearing traditional dress? What tribe is considered the best backstrap weavers? What are other tribes known (art, farming?). What does 'Ladino' refer to in Guatemala?

Now, if you don't know the answers...your homework is to go find out!!!! Finally, I'll point you to some funny language goofs I came across a few years ago by some missionaries to Guatemala. These are priceless and give you a little insight to things you might not know about Guatemala and/or Spanish. Click here to read them....

Please feel free to add your own files, dust bunnies or sparkle (just keep it clean folks). We'll be adding these to a database in our Resource Center.