Tell me lies, tell me sweet, sweet lies...

In my personal opinion, sometimes while living or working abroad, it is necessary to tell a white lie. Some of my Peace Corps friends are worried because they think I may be becoming a pathological liar, but to all of them I would like to defend my actions and say:

When a creepy guy in a camioneta keeps talking to you and 20 minutes later asks you whether or not you are married and you have about 4 more hours of sitting next to him on a bus, I think you have to lie and say that your fiancé is back in the states and yes, it is a challenge everyday being so far apart, but luckily he is very supportive of all your endeavors. He understands that this is something you need to accomplish before you get married and settle down (If I had a fiancé back in the US I am sure he would totally say this…so it is not really a lie, right?)

Also, religion here is huge. In Guatemala people seriously are either Catholic or Evangelical…While there is a very small minority that represents other religions, and even ancient Mayan beliefs, it is really not the norm and no one really says they are anything different. I made the mistake my first night in Guatemala of being honest about my religion. I told my first host family (I only lived with them for 2 nights) that I was Muslim…they stared back at me in abject horror, and were pretty much speechless…After that I told my next family (who I was with for 3 months of training) I was Protestant (This got tricky when they asked me detailed questions about being Protestant). So for this current host family (I have to stay with them my first 3 months at site), I told them I was Hindu…I figure I am Indian, I can figure it out…(and I do know enough about Hinduism to get by…). And since this is the family that called me Osama Bin Laden’s daughter, I am guessing I made a good decision not telling them my true religion…

I know some of you might be wondering if I am not suffering from sort of identity crisis or mental crisis, and becoming a pathological liar…And I know part of the Peace Corps mission is to inform host country nationals about the diversity in the US, but sometimes this just is not safe, especially with current perceptions of Islam around the world. (I’m just sayin’…) Actually, because religion is HUGE in this country, the Peace Corps advised us all to say we believed in God. Apparently, in the past volunteers said they didn’t believe in God, and host country nationals thought this meant these volunteers were devil-worshippers…because of this some of these volunteers had to leave their communities…I was just trying to avoid this but still educate about other religions…perhaps not my own…!

I have probably told more lies…oh, like I am allergic to papaya…I am not allergic to papaya, I just think it tastes like dung, and I have ever since I tried it as a little girl in India…But here in guatemala if someone offers you something and you don’t accept, it is very rude. I seriously can’t eat papaya…it makes me gag, so naturally, it is easier to say I am allergic. I don’t see anything wrong with this.

Lastly, if I were a pathological liar, I wouldn’t admit any of my lies here on this blog…or would I to fool you all? Hmmm….

And to my peace corps friends who claim I am a pathological liar, you know you are lying if you say you haven’t told one single white lie while living here in Guatemala….