Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Buenas gracias!

That's what I gave our taxi driver tonight, as we stepped out of the cab in front of our casita (it's raining, and we live a solid uphill mile from the center of town): "Buenas gracias". Muy bien hecho, hombre. And still, this is not the dumbest 'you ain't really from around here, are you?' kind of mistake I've heard tonight. As we were leaving La Casa del Pan, the nice bakery/restaurant where we'd just eaten dinner, we overheard a gentleman in amongst a big group of tourists ask the waiteress for "some watero". Faced with a dubious face from said waitress, this gent then went into a brief, gesture-thick description of this unusual thing he was asking for. Moments later, a truly prescient member of this same group suggested, "Agua, I think", and then they were off and running. Good for them.

A distressing event from yesterday afternoon: my computer ended. I could have asked for better timing, some 11 days into this trip, but so be it. I have actually come around to appreciating it all a little bit; insofar as it renders me really and completely without anything to do here (other than my Spanish homework), it forces me out of the house, to go make things happen for myself, and that's going to be a good thing in the end, I think. Insofar as I probably need a new and expensive computer, when I'm finally in a place, months and months from now, where I'm able to go get one: that aspect pleases me somewhat less (I nearly smashed to pieces my charmingly simple desk chair, before coming around to my more thorough understanding of things, above).

That's all for now. Buenas gracias!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I miss you guys. Hugs & kisses from your Muslim friend, and a very merry Ramadan!

Unknown said...

Thanks dude! Feliz Ramadan yourself. And as ever, buenas gracias!

we miss you too, and wish you could come down here to visit us.

Sarah said...

Wait... whose computer were we skyping with? Was it Jess's? Dont tell me it was Jess's!

Jessica said...

It was...but we can still Skype with mine! (Skype doesn't really know whose computer we're using.)

Daniel Hagen said...

Jess: I think there's really only one thing you can do---grow a gigantic beard and forgo all technology. (I don't expect a response to this post, if you take my advice. But you can still communicate with us through Jessica.)

Unknown said...

dude, sounds like you two have been having some good adventures! sorry to hear about the computer. when are we going to get some pictures of that ocelot?