Salutations

Hello again from Maya Connections! I am currently enjoying a relaxing Saturday after a long week of work: shopping, reading, taking pictures of town... I'll be going to the town's children's museum later this afternoon, so I'll be sure to update you on that in a bit.

For now: greetings in Copan. I suppose whenever one travels outside of his country of origin, he is bound to come across cultural norms different from his own. In Copan, while life is surprisingly similar in most respects, there are a few differences that have taken some getting used to. For example, in restaurants you seat yourself at a table. You also have to ask for the bill, or they won't bring it to you (they believe it's rude otherwise). The biggest difference, though, is the way people greet each other. If you pass someone on the street, even someone you don't know, it is expected that you say, 'Hello!' More acurately, 'Buenos dias!' or 'Hola!' or simply 'Buenas!' I like this custom quite a bit as it makes for a very friendly atmosphere in town.

As I alluded to in my last post, however, this custom also lends itself to the art of cat calling. Guys around town have no qualms about yelling things at you in the street. Though it can be uncomfortable at times, I actually find it pretty amusing. Some Copaneco men will shout things in English hoping you'll respond to that, and then giggle endlessly. Others stick to Spanish. 'Adonde vas, chica?' Even the tourists jump on the cat-calling bandwagon. I was walking in front of ViaVia last week and a couple of American-looking guys were sitting on the curb. As I walked by they shouted, 'Hola!' I just smiled in response and kept walking. They then whispered, 'She probably speaks Enlgish... Hello!' I kept walking. 'Good day?' they tried again, this time in an English accent. I smiled and kept walking. Finally, they shouted, 'Come baaaack!'

Ah, good times. Maybe I'll miss all that attention when I get back to the States.

Things are going well here otherwise. My research is beginning to wind down, and I'm beginning to work on my final report. I can't believe I have less than a week left! Time has gone by so quickly. I hope everything is splendid back home. Keep me updated!
Alyce