Love, Novela [Completed]

Re: I get around

From: novela-harmon@bethel.edu>
Date: Tue, Aug 22, 2017 at 4:45 PM
Subject: I get around   
To: grace-k-nelson@bethel.edu

I survived Day 2 of classes and, more importantly, found my way to school and back on my own for the second time in a row. I used the map Señora highlighted for me (this is what the maid calls her - did I mention there is a maid? More on that in a moment). I gave up on remembering the bus stops when she escorted me to the orientation so I figured I'd just walk for now. The sunshine and exercise (probably at least a mile each way) will do me good. I get catcalls every few blocks, but it seems harmless and I'm on pretty well-trafficked streets the whole time. It's actually kind of a self-esteem boost. I've never really dressed to impress or used much makeup or anything, but it's sort of nice to feel attractive.

Anyway, the maid: She's not exactly a maid, not what I think of anyway. She doesn't live in the house or wear a black and white outfit or anything. She does come almost every day, and cleans the whole house and does other odd jobs. Her name is Lupita, and she is much friendlier than Señora. (Side note: "Lupita" is supposed to be a nickname for Guadalupe, but she told me her legal name is actually Lupita.)

Lupita is from a small town somewhere outside of Guadalajara. She had a child out of wedlock when she was young, and there isn't much for women in her village to do besides get married so she moved here to work and support her daughter. I've been home in the afternoons when she comes in to clean my room, and while she worked she was asking about school, my friends, my religion, and my life in the United States. It's crazy - she has never heard of Wisconsin, thinks it's strange I only have one sibling, thinks that "Christians" (meaning Protestants) hate Catholics and the symbol of the cross, and asked if we eat hamburgers all the time. I would have thought some of this would have been cleared up by former students, but I get the sense they didn't talk to her as much.

So far Lupita is probably the person I'm the closest to here, and is a wealth of information (albeit very subjective) about life in Mexico. She offered to take me to a Catholic mass with her, which I might take her up on since we have an assignment on the Catholic church coming up in Composition class. Also, her house is apparently just around the corner and she sells potato chips there at night, so I am going to check that out later.

That's all for now. What about you? Write something, anything; it helps me feel less far away.

- Novela