This, that & boloney

The leaves are out, apple trees are blooming and spring seems to have arrived on Chiloe island. This is our view out the kitchen window.


Yesterday was Halloween which is noted but not really celebrated in Castro. We saw a few tots in costumes walking about the main square in the evening. We speculate that they were visiting friends and neighbors. There were more kids in the port side playground acting like Oct. 31st was any other day. Up until he saw the kids in costumes, Roberto thought that Halloween was a Cambridge thing that he had traded for the candy pinatas of Chilean birthday parties. Luckily when we got down to the playground we ran into some kids he knows from school and all was good with the world.

Speaking of playing, Berto had a school friend, Cristobal, and his father, Gustavo, over for a play date today. (All Saints Day is a holiday here.) The boys were non-stop stomping rockets on our little soccer field, poking crabs on the beach, throwing rocks into the water and chasing our neighbor's new puppy all over the yard. Meanwhile Mike and I got a chance to practice our Spanish with a very patient Gustavo. It is fun to listen to Roberto when he plays. With other kids he uses his Spanish and follows what they say to him. When he is imaginary palying by himself or with Gabi he mixes up the languages. "Mira, Gabi!" or "Cuidado Captain! There are pirates. Rapido, rapido!" Right now, after Cristobal's visit they are both power napping.

Mike came home from the supermercado the other day with the observation that there is a deli product called lisa. I asked my interpreters of Chilean culture, the teachers at school, and found out that lisa is a mortadella without the white chunks of fat. Now I know why all the kids seem to like me but not really respect me. When they call me "Miss Lisa" they are really saying "Senora Full-of-Boloney". Then, in an effort to expand our linguistic comprehension, we language googled the Spanish word lisa. Lisa means flat, plain, or direct speaking; as well as cheeky or insolent in S.America. So there you have my indentity translated into Chilean; I'm a flat chested, direct speaking to the point of insolence wise a$$. About the only thing I can say is nice about all this is that if I am to be full of boloney, at least I am a fat free wise ass and not a wide ass, wise ass.

On that note, I should insert a cute photo and study my Spanish.