The second class I've taken this summer has been Latin American Poetry. I've enjoyed the discussions, but not so much the work. Anyway, I've found myself becoming closer to people in my class. Getting the know the people in the program somehow makes it seem less intimidating.
The Priest
I've talked about him before, he's a nice guy. But . . . well, let me tell you. Okay, there's a gay guy in my class (I've talked about him before too) that I really like. There's a part of me that just wants him to be happy because it seems like deep down inside he isn't. I want to reach out to him, but how? Anyway, one particular day before class he came in all downcast and I asked him what was wrong. He said he wasn't feeling well and that he was tired. I declared that he needed a hug and so I went over and just gave him a great big hug. When I walked back over to my seat, the priest looked at me and said, "I'm tired, too." I laughed and gave him one too. Then he started talking about how he really was tired and didn't really want to come to class that day and I kiddingly said, "Who ever heard of not wanting to come to class? Imagine that!" and then he said, "Well, the only reason I come to class is for you." Uh, I laughed nervously and said, "Oh, well I'm glad I could be an inspiration to come to class!" I honestly don't think the priest has any sinister motives. Maybe Spanish class is the only time he ever has the opportunity to benignly flirt. Today we had to turn in original poems and I wrote one in the style of the Romantics that was entitled "Melancholia." It talked about (in Spanish) the bittersweet feelings of pondering over your life. I let the priest read it, and afterward he said, "You didn't write this about me, did you?" I just laughed and shook my head. When he asked to borrow a sheet of paper because he accidentally left his notebook, I said, "Sure, I'll give you three--Father, Son and Holy Ghost." I thought that was pretty clever. lol! (I know, some of you are thinking I should have just given him one since there's only one God and stuff, I know.)
The Cuban Guy
I love the Cuban guy. He and his wife are both students and they have a gorgeous little girl. He gave his presentation about a Cuban poet that had difficulty being accepted in society and among literary circles because he was the illegitimate son of a white mother and black father. I walked with him after class and asked him is there still racism in Cuba. Interestingly, he said that people still have prejudices in Cuba, but it's not the type of racism that still exists here in the US. You know, here it's common to fill out forms and such where you identify yourself racially. In Cuba, nothing like that exists--people aren't categorized according to race at all. He said that Castro did away with the racism that persisted with Communism. But instead of discrimination based on color, he said, now there is discrimination based on beliefs and ideology. He said if you are a religious person and have affiliations with the church (as he was) in Cuba, you can't get a job--employment is controlled by the government. If you imply that you disagree with Communist ideology in Cuba, you are in big trouble. It was so weird . . . I can't even imagine not being able to worship freely, you know what I mean? But it's like one form of discrimination took the place of the other. It's almost like you can't get away from it. It seems like humans will always find a way to divide themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment