07/19/2021
01/24/2019
0
just a gringo and her duo lingo
first things first
First off let me clarify that gringa is not the feminine of gringo.
Gringa, is a Mexican specialty similar to a quesadilla, stuffed with pork and cheese and is one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten while I’ve been here. Ok..full disclosure and further clarification, it was eaten after a cocktail or two, so maybe take that confession with a grain of salt, some lime and a tequila shot. You do you. And yes, I’ve relaxed the diet I normally follow for my psoriasis.
When in Rome and all that!
Prior to having that small piece of clarification, my friend and I stumbled upon a small pathway lined with local taco vendors late one morning and we quickly concluded:
a) yup we finally found heaven
b) we were in fact the only gringos pacing the four stalls on either side of the narrow walking path.
So it made sense to me when one vendor kept shouting out gringas! gringas! gringas! that he was of course referring to us.
We mumbled under our breath at this perceived inappropriateness because well, we’re here to eat your tacos sir and we know what we are.
Then it dawned on us that ‘Gringas!’ were being advertised on the banners above each taco cart and he was simply letting us know our ordering options..silly gringos.
I digress hugely; for those of you who aren’t familiar with duolingo it’s a language learning app, equipped with a green penguin mascot so everyone feels like they are using the children’s version of the app.
Needless to say and truth by known my Spanish is limited. I greatly admire those who speak multiple languages. I think it is very impressive and you simply get extra points in my book regardless of who you are.
That said, I try my best to use the Spanish that I do know as much as I can. It generally gets me three seconds into a store before the retailer is off speaking fluently and I shamefully chuckle, wave my hand and do the lo siento back peddle letting them know I was done after – Hi, how are you, good, me too, thanks.
I’m not sure duolingo has proved to be as helpful when travelling as it could be. But I’m also still on the exercises talking about leche and manzanas.
So I do get a lot of satisfaction out of ordering my coffee, asking for and confirming what types of leche they have, and then ensuring my coffee is con leche!
Clearly I enjoy and am entertained by using the Spanish I know. But my goal while I’m here is to graduate to the next level of duolingo, speak and practice openly with people I meet, and try to stop mixing in French, Italian and Geman, which sometimes looks like this: Bella not Bonito, Tres not Mucho, Bien not Bueno, Ciao not Adios, Oui not Ci, Du not Usted and the infamous “Tres Gracias!” for the chicas with me in Nicaragua (insert laugh so hard emoji).
Side note: writing without an emoji key board really makes me realize how much I use that specific emoji to drive home messages!
I love the sound of the Spanish language and I admire all those who can speak it as a second language. But I’ll close out by sharing two sounds of Mexico I could do without:
- The sometimes symphony sounding sometimes fight club sounding dogs at all hours of the night. Who said you were supposed to get a good sleep on vacation?! And that my friends, is the reason the siesta was invented; the dogs tire at some point as well in the hot afternoon sun.
- “Do you need a Mexican boyfriend” proposition. It’s ironic for someone who does in fact want a relationship, and also because North American men in most proper settings would be the last to approach me on the street to ask the time let alone ask if I want them to be my boyfriend!
I’d like to see a healthy mix of the reserved North American and wildly inappropriate Mexican come across my path, and by that point I promise I’ll be able to talk about more than just milk and apples.
Adios Amigos & Amigas!
Me voy a nadar con mi tortuga
Con Amor,
Sign-up to our Community
Enjoy following my travel adventures and want to be notified when new blogs are posted? Complete the form below & subscribe to our mailing list where you can receive regular blog notifications, insights & information about featured products, events and other things Loved by Lina!
stay on topic
11/15/2020
English