Feliz Nuevo Ano and other gringo-esque things to say...

Well, that sounded Spanish-ishy, you might say to yourself. After all, the song does say, Feliz Navidad, prospero ano y felicidad, so whats wrong with saying Feliz Nuevo Ano? I have learned my lesson over the past few days, greeting people with a cheery "Happy New Year" in Spanish that its never as easy as it seems in the text books or radio songs.

Well, first thing (and hereafter is a quick lesson in spanish grammer), it would have to be Feliz aNo, with a little tidle over the n (you know this little bugger ~, that changes the pronunciation of the n to "ny"). Second, after you take the American/Texan/Gringo/Deep South twang out of your pronuncuation (just picture President Bush saying this), it would be Feliz Ano Nuevo, becuase in Spanish, the adjective almost always comes after the noun (some exceptions pertain, of course). And third, in Panama, it might be just too much work to say Feliz Ano Nuevo, so the cut off the entire "new" (nuevo) part and just say Feliz Ano. So to all of you out there...Happy Year!

Language is never as easy as learning in a textbook. And since one of my resolutions was to talk Spanish more acurratly, I decided to let the urning public know where I am at with my Spanish. Here are some cases of gringo things I have said during my three months here in Panama.

1. The ever common "cosita". This literally means little thing. It comes in hand when ever you dont know a word for some sort of object. Could you pass me that cosita...I need that cosita that goes with this cosita, but I also need to know which of these cositas is better...

2. The ever confusing novio/a. In Spanish, female things (like women and computers) most often end in "a". Masculine things (like men and desks) usually end in "o". This goes for the word boyfriend and girlfriend, "novio" and "novia" respectively. You can imagine the confusion and the explaining on my part when I was asked if I had a girlfriend, and I said, no I dont have a novio, but that I am looking for one...

3. The ever subtle "chorizo". This word means sausage, however is often used in a double sense in Spanish (why this is not explained in text books, I dont know). I will let you figure out what it means as well as imagine the horror on a teens face when I told her that my friend likes "chorizo"...

4. The ever befuddling "que tal?" This seems to be the catch all welcoming greeting. Understanding it is not so hard (it means like whats up?) but answering it can be tricky. Things like Whats up, dont usually go with "the party?" "Whats up the party?" "Whats up your classes?" "Whats up the food?" This is not so much a case of what a gringo would say, but more what a gringo tries to stumble to put together as a sentence.

5. The ever present "joven." In the text books, this is just an adjective that means young. Well here in Panama, it refers to any kind of service person whose attention you need. Hey salesman, how much does this cost, hey waiter, the bill please type of thing. Well, you can imagine my shame when waiting in line at a buffet style restuarant, and then instead of saying joven to the server who happened to be of the "tercera edad" (a retired person) I said vieja (which means old lady!). And the correct thing to say: senora (a respectful Mrs.) instead of old lady!

Well, the list could go on. I feel fortuante that even in my times where I stumble, I have the grace of God to fall on. I hope that through whatever struggles you encounter this year, you would remember that. Through the joys that make the smile, the goof ups that we can laugh about, and the times when things just seem to go wrong, that you remember God is present through all those times, and on his rock, firmly built, you will make it. May God bless you as you head out through this year, and may it truely be for you a Feliz Ano!

until later, keep plugging!