An Artist from

Comalapa, Guatemala

 
 
 
Oscar talks about his paintings and globalization.

Vocabulary

feel	of course	do for a living
rather	believe (2)	make my living
I get by	a little bit	concrete (2)
worry	help out	well done meat
hope	expenses	in terms of
enjoy	each other	how others see things
group	preserve	meet/met/met
fat	free time	chew the fat
type	simplistic	at once (2)
regular	successive	generation
recently

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

My name is Oscar. I live in Comalapa, and I’m sixty-two (62).

What do you do for a living?

I make my living from art. Of course tourists don’t come in and buy three of my paintings at once. Usually only one. But I get by. And I’d rather live from my art than do other things.

What does globalization mean to you?

I’ve heard about it, but I don’t know anything concrete.

What worries you?

In terms of expenses, we sometimes have more money, sometimes we have less. But my wife and kids and I all help each other out. I don’t think there’s any reason to worry, and I hope a lot of people feel that way.

We don’t worry. Life is good.

What makes you happy?

Little bit of everything: health, money, love. That’s my personal ideal. I have no idea how others see things.

What’s your favorite food?

I like well done meat.

How do you spend your leisure time?

Talking. I enjoy talking with young people. And I’ve also got a regular group that I meet with to chew the fat. That’s what I do in my free time.

What do you expect for your future?

I see my art as the future. Recently I read somewhere that when Oscar Peren dies, so will his type of simplistic painting. But I don’t believe that.

I think that successive generations will preserve my style.

 

 

Questions

1. Who is this person? What’s his name? Is he young, middle-aged or old?

2. Oscar is a cowboy; he rides horses and herds cattle. True or false? What is his profession?

3. Do many people buy up all his paintings, and he makes lots of money? Does Oscar have a steady, regular income?

4. Is he the sole breadwinner of his family or do his wife and children also work?

5. Only painting is important to him. Is this right or wrong? What is important to him?

6. His favorite food is cabbage and onion stews. Is this correct or incorrect? His favorite food is . . . . . . . .

7. Does he enjoy watching TV and listening to pop music? He enjoys . . . . . . . . .

8. Does he think people remember his artwork or forget them?

9. Name some things and activities from the video.
 
 
A. Do you or your friends paint? Do you know any painters?

B. Do you have pictures or paintings in your house? Where do they come from?

C. Do you live in Guatemala? Are you from Guatemala? Have you ever been to Guatemala?

D. Have you met anyone from Guatemala? Who were they? What were they doing?

E. Describe the geography and climate of Guatemala.

F. Describe Guatemala’s economy. What does Guatemala import and export?

G. What are some of Guatemala’s problems or concerns?

H. What is the food of Guatemala like? Describe Guatemalan cuisine.

I. What are some tourist attractions (cultural, historical, natural)?

J. What comes to mind when you think of Guatemala? What do you associate with Guatemala?