Not a day goes by here that something doesn't make me laugh and shake my head in wonder. Here's a few of my thoughts from my personal journal. No offense intended to dogs, The Eagles, or folks from Villamontes!
In flagrant violation of Darwinian theory, catcalls seem nearly universal. With the exception of perhaps in Japan and India, catcalls seem to be a normal way for a guy to express his appreciation of a woman. Bolivia definitely stands out though in the catcall category. What a bizarre thing to cross cultural divides. Do catcalls actually yield results in any culture?
Another thing oddly common across many cultures is the obsession with “Hotel California”. Not a single week goes by here without some teenage kid wanting me to sing karaoke to Hotel California, or worse yet, try to translate the words. I try to tell them that 1) it’s darn hard to sing, 2) it’s even harder to translate “Tiffany-twisted”. Why isn't something easier, like the "Hokey Pokey" more universal? You put your right foot in...
Speaking of karaoke, Villamontes is the Bolivian equivalent of the Wild West, complete with dirt roads, 10 gallon hats, and a propensity towards pickup trucks (minus the gun racks) and Bolivian country music. The only, and I mean only, entertainment is a karaoke bar that does a hopping business. I’ve gone a few times now with various folks, so I can safely attest that my Spanish vocabulary mostly consists of words from sappy love songs and my accent is the equivalent of a country drawl.
I don’t have the knack yet for drinking beverages from little plastic bags, which is the container of choice here. Without a straw I just end up wearing half the drink as I turn it up to pour it. Given the laughter this elicits in the little kids, I think maybe I am the new form of entertainment in Villamontes.
Last week as I walked through town, many dogs had green ribbons around their necks. I thought it may be a celebration, like a canine St Paddy’s Day. One of the shopkeepers dispelled this myth, “It’s to show who was vaccinated. They all get their rabies vaccination one day a year.” Okay, well, not all of them. Shouldn’t they actually mark those that aren’t vaccinated, maybe with an orange “danger” ribbon? I would appreciate that a lot.
The verb “resfriar” mean to catch a cold. I thought it was a bit odd, but so nice, that on Fridays everyone tells me not to catch a cold on the weekend. I thought it was a really refreshing way of showing concern. Then finally, listening closely one day, I discovered that they are warning me not to “refriar”, slang for getting into trouble/causing trouble. Now do I look like trouble??? Don’t answer that.
Comments