Back in '96

Late in coming, but faithful readers I must own it for all to know. I went to the Maná concert in the capital on June 12th. (Hey, don't roll your eyes about how I was on another gettaway from Pinar Quemado - I had a Campamento Estrellas de Hoy meeting to go to, too).

So, yes, we were in a flashback to 1996 with the guitar heroes of ole Mexico, remembering what it was like when rock en español was new, singing “mariposa, mariposa.” The days of my long, black Chicana hair were eminently missed, as were my fake Timberlands and plaid grunge flannel button-downs.

All these upper class Dominicans were there. That was sweet, seeing the other side of Dominican tastes a little, where there's more than just bachata and salami to meet the eye. Sorry, sarcasm again. The thing is, I'm here working with the poor and the rural, this means that what they have access to is very limited. This means that my average interaction will involve one of two dozen common topics of which we will speak in very rote form. To this end, it often feels like my Spanish is better than it is because I am so often having an identical conversation. These include:

• piropos (casual flirtatious comments which often go too far)
• gripe (the flu)
• bachata (type of music)
• platanos or guineos (platanos or bananas)
• cuarto (money, who's got it, who needs it, can I share some today)
• daños (hurts - different kinds ranging from the kind you get if you take a bath while sweaty to the kind you get if your wife leaves you to live in Santiago)
• traigos (drinking)
• Nueva Yol (New York, where everyone knows someone)
• beísbol or pelota (baseball, last night's game)
• lluvia (rain, when its coming)
• Americanos (yes, we are)
• 2009 (how long we'll he here)
• café (coffee, do we want one)

and the #1 thing:

• casada (as in, am I married? or when will he be home?)

which always leads to, with emphasis:

• niños (where are your kids????!?!! usually a pitying or puzzled looks comes with free)