We visited the local nursing home while we were in Monjas. First off, let me say that I would never put anyone I love there. It needs serious work and updating, and the elderly of Monjas deserve SO much better. Besides the fact that the concrete walls and faded paint make it completely visually unappealing, the residents also have to live about 10 or so to a room (in beds that look like dorm beds) and it didn't look like it was sufficiently medically equipped at all. It's run completely on donations and the workers volunteer. They're saints.
The old ladies were ready to greet us at the door. In Guatemala, or at least in Monjas, the elderly ladies don't just greet you with a kiss-- they kind of give you a strawberry behind your ear. It's cute and hilarious. So after a few strawberries, we went into the main room where everyone was gathering.
Then Rosita came in.
Oh my heavens you've never seen anyone so cute.
3'10". TOPS. 90 lbs sopping wet with bricks in her pockets. Probably 231 years old or thereabouts.
When she sat in the chair her feet were miles from the ground and when she hugged us we bent in half to reach her.
She wore a purple skirt, a pink cardigan, and her hair was long and pulled back into a bun. Also she had on glasses that covered over half of her face.
Imagine you could buy 2 liter glass coke bottles. Imagine you took the bottom of those bottles and put frames around them and wore them as glasses. That's Rosita.
Really though this post isn't totally about Rosita. Them old people was crazy. This is about the whole very funny experience.
So Rosita sits down in her chair as a part of the audience, and an old man sits behind her and says he can't see. As Rosita tries to ask him if he'd like her to move, he proceeds to push her chair forward in an attempt to dump her tiny body out of it, all the while complaining about how she's constantly in the way. Luckily, Victor caught the dump in the nick of time and then caught Rosita in the nick of time. He sat her back down in her chair much like someone sits a baby in a high chair.
Well that old man ended up moving and he sat down by another old man. We'll call them Juan and Tomas just to make it easier to tell. Then we started introducing ourselves. I said, "Hello. We're students from the United States."
Tomas: "USA. We are friends of the USA!"
"We're very glad to be here to meet all..."
Tomas: "Glad you are here, yes, United States" and just generally talking along in agreement to what I was saying.
Juan to Tomas: "DO YOU EVER SHUT UP? IT'S BEEN A THOUSAND YEARS SINCE I'VE HEARD YOU SHUT UP! THESE PEOPLE ARE JUST TRYING TO TALK HERE AND YOU WON'T SHUT UP."
Poor little Tomas just couldn't take getting yelled at for very long and things started to escalate, with Juan standing up and the voices getting louder and louder until Victor caught my eye, and with a mixed look of terror and amusement whispered, "Just start singing! They're really about to fight!"
So we burst into a chorus of Father Abraham, that old Bible School classic, and all was well.
And then Rosita sang us her favorite song just because she wanted to and then so did another lady and then so did Tomas. Our kind-hearted translator had to pretend he knew exactly what they were singing about because they kind of sounded like they were wailing in gibberish, but it was beautiful and precious!
No comments:
Post a Comment