PLÅTICA EN ESPAÑOL CON UNA SEÑORA MEXICANA
QUE LLEVA MUCHOS AÑOS EN GUAM
Juanita was born and raised in Mexico but as a young bride moved to Guam with her husband who found work here in 1951. She speaks about how she found the Chamorro people here in those early days. She says there were a good number of people who still spoke Spanish in the early 50s. As she herself didn't speak much English, these Chamorros who spoke some Spanish helped her out when she was a young mother with little babies. Ignacia Bordallo Butler was one of her friends, who was the daughter of a Spaniard, Baltazar Bordallo from Saucelle, Salamanca.
She speaks about the kindness and goodness of the Chamorros in those days, and laments the loss of anyone's culture. She remembers how people would invite strangers to go eat at their homes during village fiestas. One can see some of this still alive today in the southern villages, where perhaps the hosts do not call out to passersby anymore, but who will not evict total strangers who walk into their fiestas which spill out into the narrow village streets.
My cousin and I were at the beach earlier this week. We met a man from Japan who told us he likes Chamorros. He was walking along the beach the day before and was invited to eat with a local family that was having a bar-b-que. :) I thought that was the sweetest thing.
ReplyDeletePale Eric, may I ask how many different languages you speak? And write?
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