What does my shirt say?

If it weren’t against Peace Corps regulations to set up money making operations, I would start a one-person side business translating people’s t-shirts. For a meager 1Q fee, I would tell you what is written across your shirt in English actually means in Spanish. Not only would I pull in a little extra monthly income, I think my enterprise would have a profound affect on the wardrobe choices of many Guatemaltecos.

Shirts in English are very common here. Used clothing from the states gets packaged into huge bundles, shipped to Guatemala, and resold in the numerous “Ropa Americana” stores all over the country. (Does it make you feel good to know that your generous donation is helping to clothe many a poor Peace Corps volunteer?) And since 99% of rural Guatemalans don’t understand English (that is a rough estimate), shirts are chosen based solely on cost, size, and color without any consideration given to what it says.

So therefore you get macho ayudantes wearing shirts with slogans such as “Shall we dance? Do you even have to ask that question?” and old men sporting “World’s Best Mom” sweatshirts and teenage girls wearing shirts basically proclaiming themselves sluts. But only the English speakers find this amusing, because everyone else is just as clueless as the person wearing the should be embarrassing shirt. For just a Q I could change that.