I've recently realized that some people don't correct my Spanish mistakes. Yesterday, when I went out to lunch with Eric, the hostess showed us two tables and asked which one we preferred. I instinctively said, "No me importa." I use this phrase all the time to say "It makes no difference to me." Once we were seated, Eric told me that "No me importa" can be construed as rude and indifferent. The better and more polite phrase to use is, "Me da igual."
I was, and still am, in shock. I have been here for a whole month and not once has anyone in my home stay or at work told me that there was a more appropriate way to say I don't have a preference. When I spoke to Marilyn and Luis Diego about this, they agreed that it's better to use "Me da igual." When I asked them why they never corrected me, they shrugged and said they knew what I meant. What?! I'm here to learn. Don't appease me!
I've also noticed that a lot of things I learn from my host family are not always appropriate for work. "Que tuanis," which I thought was equivalent to "Que chiva," is apparently very slang. I talked to my host family about the "Me da igual" mix-up, and they said it has a lot to do with context and tone of voice, but that "Me da igual" is a safer bet. Ugh.
Last night, I did Zumba in the living room with Natalie and Karen. Karen insisted on doing the advanced version, which was a huge mistake. Natalie and I could barely keep up. I also happen to be the most uncoordinated person in the world. I couldn't figure out how to do half of the steps, so I just bounced around until I got the hang of the exercise. Effective? Maybe. Entertaining? Definitely.
I adore my Tico brother, Brandon. He acts like such a rebel, but once in a while, he does something really sweet and unexpected. Natalie, Amy and I were watching a movie, and Brandon brought us a bowl of popcorn. We didn't ask for it, but Brandon was making some for himself and wanted to give us half. How cute! But then again, he has been begging all of us to borrow our credit cards. He wants to buy a $70 computer game online, but he knows his parents will find out if he uses their credit card. He has a Nike baseball cap that his buddy, Carlos, wants to buy. Brandon wants to sell it to him for $70! I told him that was ridiculously overpriced, and he agreed. However, he insisted that he has to "take care of business" and make profits for his computer game endeavors.
I made a brave attempt to clean my room last night. I re-folded all of my clothes and organized my desk a bit. Disclaimer: this was a one time occurrence. It won't be happening again any time soon. While I was putting my jewelry away, Patri came in. I showed her my favorite pairs of earrings. She left and came back with all of her jewelry. It was so cute; she took such pride in showing me her earrings, rings and necklaces. When I complimented a pair of earrings, she tried to give them to me. Of course I refused, but the gesture touched my heart. How can someone be so generous after only knowing a person for a month?
This morning, I came in to work to find the best surprise ever. A copy of the July issue of Revista Summa was sitting on my desk. My name is on the masthead. It says "Colaboracion - Lauren Gold." How exciting!
I also received a gift from Rafa today. He went on a vacation to Cuba last week and brought back wooden figurines for everyone in the office. I now have a ballerina dancer made of wood that reads, "Para Lauren, De Rafa." I feel honored to be included in the office group.
I'm working on editing some of the articles translated from The Economist and the Times. Hopefully, I can get to dance class tonight.
Ciao!
Lauren
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