Good Gossip

Gossip or Bonchinche in Spanish can be an awful thing. It can destroy reputations and end friendships. However I am finding that it can also be very helpful. My community is small by U.S. standards. There are 1,000 people here. It is rural and is about 40 minuets away from the city. Gossip is a major form of entertainment here. If I leave to run an errand in the city, the whole town knows. They know what I cooked for my family and tell me about later. This is really strange for me as I am from a large city where no one knows or cares what you are doing.

            One day I was walking around the community and looking at housing options. I live with a family for my first 3 months and after that I get my own place.  The 2 options provided by the Peace Corps were not suitable for me.  One was $100 a month which is crazy expensive here. It also was across the street from the biggest bar in town, which is both annoying and dangerous (although I would have a gate surrounding my house). The other was beautiful but far away from the majority of people.  While walking I ran into my dream house.  It was in the middle of town, close to family here, and beautiful.  It had a lovely porch with aqua blue columns. There were 3 large floor to ceiling doors that doubled as windows.  It was love at first sight.  I said to my compeneros “ Wow. I love that house!  Its my Casa de suenos (dream house)”.  They looked at me like I was crazy.  “Why would you want to live in a old house like that? “  “I heard there were ghost that lived there!”  I stood undeterred I loved the house.  There was a problem however, the landlord was the widowed wife of the last inhabitant and lived 4 hours away. I didn’t have a way to contact her.  2 days after I said I loved the house the whole town knew. They called it “Temps casa de suenos” and laughed at the fact that I liked old houses. 1 week after I said I loved the house the grand daughter of the landlord came to me. She had talked to her grandmother about me. 3 weeks after, I walked past my dream house to see men working furiously in the back yard hacking up overgrown weeds. The grandma was in the yard waiting for me.  She invited me inside the house. It was spacious and cool. I loved it even more!  She showed the other houses she had. These houses were modern with indoor bathrooms (rare for my community). I still loved the old house. She said that I could live there for $20 a month and use the stove and furniture from the other houses. I got my dream house!  I owe all this to some good gossip.