Limoncito o limon: A typical language story

So, as many of you may know, Aaron and I came to Panama knowing little Spanish. We still know little, but it is more than when we began. Along this journey of learning a new language, we have had some funny stories.

Often, we will ask things like, "How do you say cheesecake in Spanish?" only to have the reply be, "Cheesecake." "Oh! Thanks." Needless to say, these scenarios are a little embarassing.

The other thing we do often is to either use Google Translator or our little Spanish Translation book which Aivlyn calls the "bible." If we are out and about in the car, we will use the book which is what we did today.

I have a spice kit for Garlic and Lime Chicken Fajitas and I was planning on using it today. I had all the ingredients except for lime juice which I could not find at the big grocery store in Coronado. So, I thought I would try looking in some of the local Chinos. Again, I couldn't find any. My last resort was to check the market in downtown El Valle. As we are driving there, I quickly look up the word lime in the little book. It says, "(fruit) limoncito." Great! I practice saying it a couple of times as Aaron pulls into the front of the market. I jump out of the car and walk up to the stands. I don't see limes, but a lady approaches me and I say, "Tu tiene limoncitos?" She gives me the blank I-have-no-idea-what-you-said stare, and says, "Limon?" I say, "No, limoncito. . . limon verde." She points at a bag of what appear to be limes and says, "Limons." "Si. Cuanto questo?" I ask. She tells me; I buy the limes and go back to the car. As I get into the car, I look at Aaron, start laughing and say, "Apparently, limes are not called limoncitos here." We laugh at ourselves. . . again. And head home.

At home, I reinforce my learning by asking our housekeeper about it. She confirms that there is not a difference between limes and lemons here. All are called "limon."

Hmmm. . . thanks little translation book, I think.

I'm Thankful for. . .

Being in Panama and away from the comforts and "security" I'm used to has changed my perspective. I have come to appreciate things in different ways. So, during this time of year as we focus on things we are thankful for, I thought I would do the same through my Panama eyes. Here goes!

1. I'm thankful for Skype. I can talk to family back home without running up a huge bill. Even our $.10/minute Panamanian cell phone can add up a big charge with a good conversation.

2. I'm thankful for Spanish-speaking friends who know to speak slowly and dumb-down anything they're trying to say to me in hopes that I might get it.

3. I'm thankful for mechanics who make housecalls and can teach my husband how to use jumper cables to connect the battery to the glow plugs so we can always start our car.

4. I'm thankful for Chinos/tiendas/kioskos within a couple of blocks where I can buy grocery necessities, but nothing extravaggant.

5. I'm thankful for days of beautiful, warm sunshine after many, many days of torrential rain.

6. I'm thankful for bug spray. . . if only I could remember to use it every day.

7. I'm thankful for Calamine lotion for when I don't remember the bug spray.


8. I'm thankful for friends who own lots of movies and let us borrow many at a time.

9. I'm thankful for my washer and dryer. I saw a Panamanian woman washing individual items of clothing (off a large pile) in a sink yesterday and hanging them to dry, and was re-thankful for my machines.

10. I'm thankful for Google Translator which helps me make some sense in Spanish when I have the time to use it. And for gracious Panamanians who wait patiently while I slowly speak my Spanish phrases.

11. I'm thankful for lush mountain scenery out my kitchen window and for beautiful black beaches which we can enjoy during a day trip.

12. I'm thankful for hiking as a recreation not a necessity. We met a boy 45 minutes into our uphill hike today who still had "un hora mas a mi casa" (1 hour more to my house). We headed down at that point.

13. I'm thankful for Denise who watches out kids for a couple of hours a week so Aaron and I can have a break from being with them. When you homeschool and don't have a mall or stores to just run in to just look around, you don't get much a break from your kids.


14. I'm thankful for the senses of humor of my family.

Aaron. . . well, most of you know him.
Mylen cracks me up with his sarcasm and funny expressions.
Aivlyn has really begun to get into role-playing and can take it to an extreme.

15. I'm thankful for family and friends who plan on visiting. It gives me something to look forward to.

16. I'm thankful for working appliances and a good landlord who replaces them quickly when they stop working.

And on a much more serious note. . .

17. I'm thankful for a God who can bridge gaps of culture and language to bring people together in Him.

18. I'm thankful for the invitation to come directly to God himself anytime with anything on my mind.

19. I'm thankful for the guardian angels God has given to watch over me and my family.

20. I'm thankful for the hope that I have in my Savior, Jesus.

21. I'm thankful that I am a child of The King of Kings!

Gracias, Padre, por todo lo que haces por mi! Thank you, Father, for everything you have done for me!

Panama's Independence Day

Panama has just finished celebrating its independence on November 3rd. Panama claimed its independence from Colombia in 1903 with the help of the US (thus the friendly relationship between the two).

We got to celebrate Independence Day with our city, El Valle. It, like almost all other Panamanian cities had a parade. The parade for El Valle, which is a small town, had 5 or 6 bands in the parade, 7-8 twirling brigades, and numerous other civic groups.

Now when I say "band," I mostly mean percussion. Ok, ALL percussion! 3+ big bass drums, scores of snare drums, and the girls play the xylophones. I'm not talking about 1 or 2 girls playing xylophones in the back of the group. There were probably 10 girls playing the xylophone leading each band. In addition, the sound of the xylophone was not subtle; they played entire songs all in unison. Couple the xylophones with the bass drums (being beaten for all they were worth), throw in a few cymbals and what you have is. . . Very loud and a very good beat. I'd give it a 9.5!

The twirling groups were another point of interest. Lots of girls twirling batons! They ranged in size from very small (probably 4-5 years old) to high school-aged girls. Each group had their own uniform which, I've learned, are hand-sewn each year to fit that specific girl. A few of the groups didn't twirl batons, but had Chinese fans that they did a routine with. All in all, quite entertaining.

We also got to see traditional dress. The traditional Panamanian dress for a lady is called a pollera. They are full-length skirts that must take yards of material to make. They have multiple ruffles that make up the shirt that matches. Then there are the shoes that match the ball that goes at the neck of the shirt. Very pretty, and the little girls, obviously, learn at an early age the appropriate way to hold the sides of their pollera. And the boys with their cute Panamanian hat and white shirts. The second picture above shows two girls: one in traditional Panamanian dress and one in traditional Kuna Indian dress.

The parade was really neat. It was also quite long. In addition to having to wait for one band to be far enough away so the next one to be heard, you also had all the parents of the students in one band following their child's band along the parade route. So, the entire parade looked like this: Band, parents, wait, wait, wait, twirlers, parents, band, parents, wait, wait, band, parents, twirlers, parents, wait, wait. . . Well, I think you get the picture. So, on the first day of the parade, we watched for almost 2 hours and with no end in sight decided we needed to go home and eat lunch. The next day (yes, the same parade two days in a row), we arrived later, and got to see the remainder that we hadn't seen the day before. Probably a two and half hour parade.

So, Happy Independence Day to Panama! Thanks for letting us celebrate with you.