Ohhhh Spanish

Every day we have something new to laugh at when it comes to learning a language.  Today (Monday) we had a couple!

In the morning we went downstairs to help with lunch like we always do (although it turned out to be a very different lunch…see A Peruvian Feast).  There was some strange looking meat in a pot and we asked what it was.  Feliciana responded and we tried to say it back to her like we always do.  It sounded like “estripe” so that’s what we said.  As soon as it came out of our mouths, Melchura started laughing…never a good sign when it comes to our Spanish.  We had Feliciana say it again and learned it was “tripa.”  This turns out to be pig intestine.  When we asked her why they were laughing so hard earlier she started dancing and fake taking off her clothes.  Apparently we had said we were going to eat pig strippers and not intestine.  Lovely.

The next one happened at the lunch table.  I was talking to an old man who was from Peru but currently living in Los Angeles so he spoke some English.  Another man came in and they chatted for a bit then the second man left.  The man from LA turned to me and started speaking in English and I thought he told me the other man’s wife was from Ohio so I said “muy bien!” and got excited.  I turned and looked at Noelle who was super confused and she says to me “he just told you his wife has high blood pressure.”   I’m sure you can’t imagine how I got the wife was from Ohio out of that but I did and it was slightly embarrassing.  

Brittany discovered today that she’d been asking Melchura where the pig purse was instead of the big bucket…

Many more moments to come!