Hola! ¿Cómo
estás?
The many ways to say “Hello. How are
you?” in Spanish are all jumbled up in my head.
¿Cómo
está usted?
¿Cómo
estás?
¿Cómo
estás hoy?
Buenas
dias.
Buenos
tardes.
Hola.
It seems simple enough. They are just a
few basic words.
But departing from automatic speak when
I greet someone ain't an easy feat. I must stop my usual response,
think about what I want to say in Spanish, remember the person's name
that I want to say “good day” to, think about whether its morning
(dias) or afternoon (tardes), and get my Spanish phrases in mind
before I speak. Then after successfully (or not) saying what I want
to say, time to listen to and translate their response. Then the same thing
all over again. Figure out what I want to say next. I don't have to
tell you that it can be exhausting.
 |
| Beautiful decorations on homes next door to RV park. |
 |
| House decoration at Tecalai next door |
John and I just finished our fourth
Spanish lesson in two weeks. It's fun and frustrating. Fun because
its a time to play language(s) games with the instructor, Carolina,
and with the other students. Frustrating because I want to already
say and understand so much more with the Mexican people I encounter
each day in San Carlos.
Luckily you don't have to know the
language in a foreign county to enjoy its sights, sounds, smells,
tastes, and textures. And we experience plenty of all those each day.
Almost daily since arriving in this
seaside town three weeks ago, I've walked from our campsite at
Totonaka RV Park to the small development next door for a stroll with
my dogs, Gingee and Charlie. The lusciously painted houses with their
artsy doors and windows, the clean cobblestone streets, the brightly
colored bougainvillea bushes, and the attractive clubhouse and pool
area have fueled much fantasizing by me and John of having our own
little winter getaway place there.
 |
| We're sorting through whether we want to return in winters to come. |
 |
| The small homes at Tecalai are full of charm and character. |
Each day, we find one more item that we
thought was not to be found here in San Carlos. Yesterday it was our
first trip to the farmacia (pharmacy) where we saw they have
familiar cosmetics and toiletries, and medicines for everything we
might need. We also discovered the little specialty grocer (Santa
Rosa Mercado) where the shelves were stocked with items that make us
gringos happy – a loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread, Quaker old
fashioned oats, almond milk and more. Not only that, the owner goes
to Tucson, Arizona regularly and will bring back items for you if
they don't already have them in the store. That's service!
 |
| John exploring the artistry at Sagitario Arts and Crafts. |
I have reached the point in our stay
where I am ready to settle into some creative work with my painting,
writing and videography. The challenge is that it's hard for me to
focus in our little RV with John and the dogs continuously coming and
going. So I began a search for artist studio space, at a reasonable
rate. A space close enough to walk to would be great. I'm on the
hunt! We will be here for another three months give or a take a week
or two, so definitely worth the effort to find.
Buenas noches and holiday wishes to everyone as you gear up for the month of celebrations.
