29 November 2012. My attitude today seems
just right for an afternoon in a hammock, but alas we don’t have one in our
rented apartment in León. So these
following, unconnected thoughts are what I would have reflected upon from the
hammock this afternoon.
I counted them today on
the way home from Spanish class. There
are 20 of them, all in a row, side-by-side, and not more than 200 meters from
the apartment. Fireworks stands, that
is. Last week they looked like ramshackle abandoned market stalls, lonely and forlon, but this week have taken on new life. Apparently the roadside near our house is the
designated area for fireworks vendors, complete with signs saying
“Peligroso. No Fumar” – “Dangerous. No Smoking.” I’ve asked a few questions, in Spanish of
course, and have discovered that Nicaragüenses celebrate December 7 as the day
of the Immaculate Conception of Jesus. Apparently this is a very big deal here in
León, and there are indications all around town that we are getting ready for a
big celebration—not just the fireworks stands, but sprouting carnival rides,
stages being erected, and growing numbers of mobile vendors of hot dogs,
hamburguesas, and other traditional
Nicaraguan food. From the looks of things it will be a cultural event to
behold.
Soon after we arrived in Nicaragua I heard it,
and I’ve heard it again from several people since: In Nicaragua, “norte” means north and “sur”
means south, as you would expect. But
surprisingly “arriba” (up) means east and “abajo” (down) means west. They use these terms instead of two other well-known
words that would be quite suitable:
“este” (east) and “oeste” (west). Why they use “arriba” and “abajo” has puzzled
me since the day I first heard it, and it constantly confused me – which way is
“arriba” again? Well, finally this week
our Spanish teacher, a delightful young woman named Alejandra, explained it quite
clearly to us. She said, in Spanish of
course: “The sun comes up, ‘arriba,’ in the east and goes down, ‘abajo,’ in the
west.” Now that is one of the most
practical language lessons I’ve heard, and I will never forget the meanings of
“arriba” and “abajo” again. I suppose
Nicaraguans feel the same way – when arriba is this-a-way and abajo is that-a-way
(just look at the sun), who cares about east and west anymore? Well, as I think about it, maybe this
wouldn’t work so well for our Alaskan friends.
There, in summer, the sun both rises and sets in the north, while
in winter it rises (if ever) and sets in the south. This clearly requires more reflection from a
bi-polar perspective.
Speaking of bi-polar, last
Tuesday we ran into La Gigantona and her side-kick Pepe Cabezón on the other side of town. The best way to introduce someone to this colorful
couple is with a picture. La Gigantona
is the tall one, while Pepe Cabezón is her short friend with the big head. They and their two drummers were walking in
the street when we encountered them.
There they performed a little impromptu dance, complete with some poetry from
the drummers, for us and the small crowd of neighbors that gathered in appreciation. Later in the day we saw a similar couple
stopping traffic on the other side of town.
I get the feeling we’ll be seeing more of these folks around town from
now to New Year’s Day.
We walk to and from
language class every day. That’s at
least an hour on the streets, and more if we duck into a shop to look at
something. Along the way we get to greet
lots of strangers and passers-by. Some
of the faces we are getting to recognize, while I’m sure our faces are quite
memorable to them. Anyway, the curious
thing about greeting passers-by here is that you don’t say “hola” (hello or
hi), but instead you say “adios,” which is good-bye! The explanation we heard for this seems to
make good sense. An “hola” – or hello –
implies some more conversation will follow, right? But if you are just passing by you have no
intent to stop to chat, so you just say “adios” – or good-bye – as you
pass. I kind of like it, because “adios”
is a combination of two words, “a dios,” which means “to God.” So when I say “adios” to a stranger on the
street, it feels to me like tipping my hat and saying “Here’s to God!” I’d be curious if any of you care to try this
on the street in the USA, and please let me know what reaction you get when you
greet a passer-by with a friendly “Good bye!”
Adios!
