Loco Local
San Pedro La Laguna
Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala
January 2004

In his mid-twenties, my Spanish teacher Jose Rodriguez is also an accountant in training, and a break-dancer who pops his limbs in liquid rhythm. His strong Lawrence Fishburne resemblance and purebred Guatemalan background, serve a deadly potion of style. Jose likes to wear his yellow long sleeve t-shirt with a turntable print, a low hanging belt, red bandana on his wrist, sly hair jelled back, a small black moustache, and sport sunglasses.

As I learn the fundamentals of "to be" and "to have" in Spanish, and adjectives and verbs, we regularly break away from the curriculum to speak about Guatemalan gangsters, break dancing, chicas, cervezas, Eminem, and American pop king Michael Jackson! Sitting across from me, in the heat of the day under a simple thatch roof hut, Jose frequently pops his upper body, moving energy like a snake starting with his fingertip and progressing a wave to the wrist, elbow, shoulder, neck, and the other side, back to the middle, rolling his head, stops, and pulsates the wave down his chest into his knees.

He lets out a "What's up homie? Michael Jackson, smooth criminal," in a cool Guatemalan accent. By night he is part of a break dance crew "Breaks 33," and often goes into street competitions.


jose
One day, we leave the "classroom" in order to go and "practice" my Spanish at a nearby pool hall. As we play, Jose slides across the floor doing the moonwalk while listening to Marimba. We play a few rounds but Jose assures me that without "mucho practicar" (lots of practice) I won't learn Spanish. So then we leave the hall and the lesson continues…