*Spanish Slang and the Providential Mop Incident*

            I have learned some unique Spanish slang since moving here. Among these words is one that I kept receiving in emails and texts: jajaja. At first I was sure it was a typo. After I saw it repeatedly, I admitted to myself that it must indeed be a word, albeit some sort of abbreviation or something. Finally it dawned on me- in Spanish the “j” is pronounced as an “h,” therefore “jajaja” is really “hahaha.” ;-)

            I have to say, it gives me a tiny jolt of fiendish delight when I see this message pop up more often in my emails, “Your application for Independent School District [fill in the blank] has been deactivated.” I used to fill out new applications every month, looking in vain for an elementary teaching position in the US. Now I can happily disregard these applications and all other job searching activities. Maintaining applications and searching for jobs had constituted nearly a part-time job in itself. I am so grateful to have a job here, knowing that I am getting 3 times the benefits and pay that I would have received if I had gotten a job in the US. Needless to say, I highly recommend international teaching (as long as you pick a good school) for my fellow teachers!

            After walking around in my apartment bare foot the first day I arrived, I looked at the black bottoms of my feet in disgust. Clearly a severe mopping was needed. Ever after that I kept looking for a mop at different stores. I saw plenty of the traditional sort- long ropey tendrils and a wooden handle, but what I really wanted was one of those flat-headed sponge based ones. After searching for one of these unsuccessfully for about 3 weeks, I resigned myself to the fact that I would just have to settle for the old fashioned kind.

            However, one weekend I went out to try “cachapas”- a delicious local food which is something like a cornmeal omelet with juicy cheese inside. While enjoying this succulent food for the first time, along came a street vendor with a bundle of mops over his shoulder! I watched with interest while he demonstrated how to use one with a passerby. AS soon as I ascertained that this in fact was the same kind of mop I’d been looking for, I quickly got out of my seat in the small restaurant and hailed him down to buy one of my own! It may interest you to note that street vendors here sell any and everything- from fruit, to lottery tickets, to flowers to socks!

Getting Groceries in a Foreign Land

           Going to the grocery store is always an adventure. I never know which item won’t be in stock, and I never anticipate the confusion that often arises from my lack of Spanish. While I was trying to explain to the chap bagging my groceries that I wanted it all in my backpack, it quickly became apparent that I wasn’t using the right words. After a couple more attempts, he decided I was Italian and said, “capiche” (I get it). The irony of the situation made me smile: I am a quarter Italian, but I don’t speak the language. Nevertheless, “capiche” is one of the few words I have learned from watching gangster roles in movies. I’m glad the word served its purpose while I was at the grocery store.

            I went to the grocery store this morning, and recognized another piece of humor in the experience. Every time I get to the check-out line, I explain the same thing to the bagger- that I want all my groceries in my back-pack. The man is always initially confused, because every normal person just lets him put the groceries in plastic bags. Once the request is understood, it becomes the man’s personal challenge to pack my backpack as full as he possibly can. I always watch with interest to see if the bagger will utilize every pocket in my backpack (there are quite a few), or if he just fills the main pocket and then switches to the plastic bags.

            Today I had to laugh, because the bagger insisted on putting the groceries in plastic bags first, then put them in the backpack. He thought this would be easier, but I’m afraid he baffled himself at the first attempt when he realized he’d packed his first bag in an irregular shape that would not fit properly at the bottom of my backpack. The most amusing moment came at the end- he was determined to fit the last few items into my back-pack, so he held a bunch of bananas, looked for an open pocket, and decided on the worst option- he actually tried to fit 5 bananas into a small side pocket mean for a small water bottle.

            The worst part about going to the grocery store is the check-out line. On a good day, the line is at least 5 carts long, and the cashier seems to take an eternity to get through each set of groceries. I can expect to stand in line for at least 45 minutes. On a busy day, the lines stretch back into the isles, and overlap each other in a convoluted maze of carts and legs. Of course, those are also the days that you happen to be in a line with a change of the guard- your cashier stops midway through the line to switch places with the next cashier, a process which takes a good 20 minutes in itself. Needless to say, going to the grocery store is a trip I make only when I need to. There is no way I would “stop by” the grocery store for any one item, I’d rather go without until I need to buy more things.

            I often think about “Pilgrim’s Progress” while walking home from the grocery store. My back-pack is so full that it sets on my back like the heavy burden that Pilgrim carried. I often wonder what people think of me, walking hunched over with my back-pack and plastic bags of other groceries in my hands. I will be ever more grateful for the convenience and efficiency of stores in the US and a car to tote my groceries in!

Of geckos, absorbing liquids, and 2-year-olds

            Have you ever seen a gecko or lizard try to run across a smooth floor? The experience was altogether new for me. At first didn’t even know what I was looking at- something alive no doubt, but what was it? Upon closer inspection, I saw what was a gecko or tiny lizard outside my classroom. I thought the little guy was crippled, watching how he tried to scuttle away from me, sliding across the floor as if it was ice. It was rather pathetic- he tried so hard to get away, but it was like he was stuck in a perpetual moonwalk. He fit nicely inside the 2 paper cups I trapped him in. Strangely enough, once inside the cups, he calmly awaited his release. I think he was happy to touch the grass and dirt again, after the slippery floor of the school!

            The main reason I enjoy teaching the elementary grades is that kids still have a unique perspective on life, unmolded into society norms. They are still willing to believe that people can travel through time if they get caught up in a tornado, or that the tooth fairy really does exist. My students also come up with some very interesting, yet erroneous conclusions. This past week my TA, Jess, was grading a science test. One of the boys in my class responded to the question, “What is one of the things you learned about air” with this: “liquid is matter than can absorb water”! She and I both had a good laugh, and I was left baffled with the irony of the answer- nothing to do with air, and an obvious misunderstanding of liquid! Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me in the realm of teaching science!

            Today marks the first time I’ve ever shared food with a 2-year-old. Not sure it was the best decision, but both of us really wanted the grapefruit I brought to the beach, so we both put up with the other person’s germs ;-) I try to justify this decision based upon the fact that there isn’t a ton food available at the beach, and most of it is over-priced, so food is more of a necessity; but anyone who’s ever watched a 2-year-old eat will think twice before they share a bite. Oh, well! More strength for my immune system in the long run ;-)