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.
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