Questions

I am in the process of finishing up one final paper for a graduate certificate I am completing in International Education. The paper is part of a study abroad trip I took to Nicaragua. The paper I am writing is about the cultural expectation of becoming a mother. Anywho, I starting writing about an experience I had while I was there and thought I should share it....

During my first evening with the family I was staying with in a small rural community I was asked many questions about myself. Once they learned my age and that I was married, the question of whether or not I had children arose. When I gave the answer that I did not have children they assumed that because of the language barrier I did not understand the question, and had their daughter translate. When my answer remained the same, they sought out my professor to translate the question. And when the answer still remained the same they were quite shocked, and questions about why I did not have children, and if I wanted them, continued throughout the night.

That was such a painful and emotional night. A short time before I left for that trip DH had the varicocele surgery and that fact that we may never have children was really setting in. I did not want to get into the whole 'hi, I'm an infertile' conversation via an spanish-english dictionary. The entire time I was there I felt like such an outsider, almost like a reject. Like 'omg, how can this married woman NOT have kids? WTH is wrong w/her? why didn't we get a normal one to stay with us?'

If this entire IF journey has taught me anything, it is to never assume that you know a person's entire story. Never make assumptions about people and always treat them with the benefit of the doubt.