The frogs! The frogs! They sound like some combination of a yodeling sheep choir and some kind of party toy on a stick that you spin around and annoy your parents with. I can imitate them pretty well now doing a kind of nasal "Legle legle legle" and flapping my tongue. I told you I was easily entertained! That, combined with my viral (not virile) mind and I'm pretty close to a constant fool here. Oh, and the language barrier. Today when I ordered my fresh fruit smoothie, I asked if since they were out of fresh guanabana if they had the frozen pulp (but actually I was really saying "could you just use frozen octopus?"). I remember this one-sided half smile emerging on the face of the young girl as I spoke. Hey, the words pulp and octopus are only ONE letter different. Give me a break! Pulp is pulpa. Octopus is pulpo. Any fool could do it.
Oh, so the frogs. I can't get a picture so here is a recording that Steve made of the tree frogs (Ranas) outside our window.
http://k002.kiwi6.com/hotlink/j5isagrn35/frogs_3_compressed.mp35
Hrm, I don't think that link is working, it wants me to sign in to gmail to get it?
ReplyDeleteI had so many of those language barrier moments in Colombia. One of my favorites was ojos/hojas.
ojos = eyes
hojas = leaves (of trees) or sheets (of paper)
But the "h" is silent! And all this confusion went down spoken, rather than written, so ir really sounded like one letter of difference to me. My in-laws were trying to describe some food as wrapped in hojas, and I was like, "ojas? how weird..." and they said, "you know, hojas de arboles, o hojas de papel?" And I am thinking, gosh, I didn't know that trees and paper had eyes... I mean, potatoes, but trees???" When we finally figured it out we all had a big laugh.
Also "pollo" is chicken, but "repollo" is cabbage. So I was really confused when his family who I thought clearly knew I was vegetarian was telling me the dish had chicken in it. "But I'm vegetarian? no meat?" "Right, no meat!" "But chicken is meat?" "ahhhhh, no, no, REpollo." heehee.
ooh, now I got to hear the frogs, so cool! A very accurate description I think!
ReplyDeleteOoops. Turns out these are narrow mouth toads, not frogs.
ReplyDelete