So, I could go on and on about the frustrations of the last couple of weeks, the job situation, the major (read: expensive and time consuming) car repair.....how my poor husband was exhausted after only a week of this crazy new schedule, managed to complete his 35 visits 4out of 6 days - and yet was reamed out by his boss for not getting them done evryday and told he comes across like he doesn´t want to work hard. How now they want them to also include making visits between the hours of 6-11PM in hopes of finding more people at home.
But I am tired of thinking about it and feel like I´m very complainy of spirit lately.
So I am going to tell you about the circus instead.
The day the car broke down, my beloved chose not to work the rest of the day (it was broiling hot out and the idea of visiting clients by foot....). Instead, he spent a couple of hours job hunting, came home to eat, we got a few errands done....and then we went to the circus.
By the way, although he did find a couple of good leads on jobs that day, nothing has come through so far.
So, the circus. It set up in the next neighborhood over from ours, in an empty lot about the size of a gas station or corner store lot. If you bought your ticket ahead of time from the guy driving around the area with a loudspeaker, it was halfprice at only about $1.50 (American)/ticket. It seemed like a good chance to relax a little and enjoy some cheap entertainment. And it was within walking distance (a key point when carless) :)
We walked thru the entryway, handed over our tickets, and I suddenly felt like I had stepped back in time about 100 years. It was a dirt floor. Seating consisted of bleachers - literally thin planks of wood tied with rope to makeshift stands. If you had paid the premium price (I think like $5), you could sit a little closer in white plastic chairs.
The show opened with 2 girls, dressed in leotards and streamers that hung from their arms and waist, coming out and basically twirling in circles a few times to the music.
The opening act was essentially yo-yo tricks.
I think the whole operation ran with about 15 people. The first half of the show, several little boys were the stage hands for the different acts, and I wondered if they were sons of the men doing the acts and how they felt traveling with the show all the time. Then the 2nd half the show began, and those little boys were the acts, and the men who had been the acts earlier were now the stagehands!
During the break and after the show, anyone one of them could be seen selling the souveniers and snacks.
Every circus had animals, right? This one had miniature horses, and their tricks mostly consisted of walking the perimeter of the ring, and bowing when introduced.
My favorite act of the show was the clown, though. He wanted to throw knives at someone, and so came and picked someone randomly out of the audience. And trust me, the man chosen was not a plant - the looks on his face made that quite clear as we went through this experience! So, the clown and his assistents tied his arms above his head on the corkboard type thing that was the target. The clown put a ballon next to the man´s hip and started to pace off, preparing to throw a knife and break the balloon. We all knew there must be some trick here, including the poor man from the audience - I mean, this was a clown act after all! But at this point the victim, as I will call him, was starting to look pretty nervous. Then, just before the big throw, the clown has the brilliant idea to use a blindfold! He started to put it on himself, then turned and covered his victim´s face instead. And now, the big moment.....He paced off, turned and encouraged us to make a lot of noise, then quickly handed off the knife to the littlest stagehand, who ran up to the ballon and easily stuck the knife into it! Then they unblindfolded the man, so he could see that the ballon pop he heard was indeed caused by a knife arriving within inches of his body. They proceeded through this routine a couple of more times, and it was just hysterical watching the face of the poor victim each time, sure that the clown was going to hit him with one of those knives!
All in all, the show lasted about 2 hours, brought lots of laughs, and actually included a couple of impressive acts with people flying through the air or doing some amazing balancing. Of course, it also included more clowns, and a girl who could hoola-hoop like nobody´s business :)
Not bad for a cheap night´s entertainment - I only wish we would have had our nieces and nephews with us to enjoy it. And that the bleachers had been just a teensy bit more comfortable.
Showing posts with label funny. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funny. Show all posts
Monday, July 21, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
It`s not easy being green
Ok, so the point of this post is that I am white, not green. And it isn`t all that bad, really. I just couldn`t resist using that line since it sort of kind of relates to my topic today.
Which is, as you may or may not remember, that I stand out here in Mexico. I am very much in the minority, and very much not Mexican any way you want to look at it. I draw attention on a regular basis, both good and bad.
Ever since that last post on this topic, I have actually had very little of the undesirable type of attention - with one notable exception that I will share shortly. But I have had lots of the innocent type of attention lately. It is a good thing it doesn`t bother me much (I mostly find it slightly amusing), because I have this feeling it isn`t likely to end any time soon. You see, it is based in large part simply on the fact that I look very different - and I don`t forsee that changing. There`s times that it might have to do with my not yet fluent and strongly accented Spanish, so maybe as my Spanish continues to improve it`ll cut back on those times. But really, I think no matter how at home I feel here, I will always be a curiosity to others here.
Some recent examples:
*I stopped in at a papeleria for some copies a couple weeks ago, and the woman launched right into a whole interview/discussion of where I am from, why I am here, the time she spent in the US and her desire to return.
*We recently found a new little grocery type shop that is closer than the others we already knew about and has good prices - round about my 3rd visit, the woman who runs it apparently couldn`t stand her curiosity any longer. `Maam, you aren`t from here are you?` `Where are you from?` `Why are you here?`
*I went along with my friend last week to pick up her son from school. Her son`s teacher took one look at me, turned to my friend and asked, `Where is she from?`. She then turned to me and began to explain in strongly accented and not quite fluent English that she lived 12 years in California.
*Our church helped host a large women`s conference this past Saturday (large = over 200 women). At the beginning of the first service, as everyone turned to greet one another, one woman looked at me and greeted me in English. Later on, I was asked many a question by the women who know people in our church and wondered about me.
You get the idea. It really is interesting to see when and where someone`s curiosity will get the better of them around here!
Now, for the one notable not-so-nice instance of attention. I was sitting on a public bench in the shade downtown, reading my Bible and waiting for my husband to get out of the office. A middle aged couple came and sat at the other end of the bench for several minutes, I think to enjoy a moment in the shade. So at first, when a bit later an older man (in his 60s?) came along and sat down, I didn`t think too much of it. He greeted me, I responded politely and kept reading. A moment or 2 passed, and he said something brillant like, `reading the Bible...?`. I nodded and kept reading. He continued every couple of minutes or so to say things like how pleasant it was to sit in the shade, or to ask if I lived here in Saltillo. He explained he lived in one of the small towns a bit outside of the city. Small talk, you get the idea. I never uttered more that 1-2 words at a time, always going right back to reading. You know how sometimes you just have a feeling about people? He seemed pleasant enough on the surface, but I just had this gut reaction that I didn`t want to interact with him. I kept waiting for my husband to arrive - it was taking longer than he expected. Finally, the man began to work his way around to a point. `I really like ice cream.` Pause. `Do you?` Pause. `Can I invite you to get an ice cream?` I was so thankful to be able to truthfully answer, `I`m sorry. I am waiting for my husband.` He continued with his small talk type comments for another few minutes, and finally got up to leave. At which point it occurred to me that maybe I`d be better off waiting outside the office. :)
Which is, as you may or may not remember, that I stand out here in Mexico. I am very much in the minority, and very much not Mexican any way you want to look at it. I draw attention on a regular basis, both good and bad.
Ever since that last post on this topic, I have actually had very little of the undesirable type of attention - with one notable exception that I will share shortly. But I have had lots of the innocent type of attention lately. It is a good thing it doesn`t bother me much (I mostly find it slightly amusing), because I have this feeling it isn`t likely to end any time soon. You see, it is based in large part simply on the fact that I look very different - and I don`t forsee that changing. There`s times that it might have to do with my not yet fluent and strongly accented Spanish, so maybe as my Spanish continues to improve it`ll cut back on those times. But really, I think no matter how at home I feel here, I will always be a curiosity to others here.
Some recent examples:
*I stopped in at a papeleria for some copies a couple weeks ago, and the woman launched right into a whole interview/discussion of where I am from, why I am here, the time she spent in the US and her desire to return.
*We recently found a new little grocery type shop that is closer than the others we already knew about and has good prices - round about my 3rd visit, the woman who runs it apparently couldn`t stand her curiosity any longer. `Maam, you aren`t from here are you?` `Where are you from?` `Why are you here?`
*I went along with my friend last week to pick up her son from school. Her son`s teacher took one look at me, turned to my friend and asked, `Where is she from?`. She then turned to me and began to explain in strongly accented and not quite fluent English that she lived 12 years in California.
*Our church helped host a large women`s conference this past Saturday (large = over 200 women). At the beginning of the first service, as everyone turned to greet one another, one woman looked at me and greeted me in English. Later on, I was asked many a question by the women who know people in our church and wondered about me.
You get the idea. It really is interesting to see when and where someone`s curiosity will get the better of them around here!
Now, for the one notable not-so-nice instance of attention. I was sitting on a public bench in the shade downtown, reading my Bible and waiting for my husband to get out of the office. A middle aged couple came and sat at the other end of the bench for several minutes, I think to enjoy a moment in the shade. So at first, when a bit later an older man (in his 60s?) came along and sat down, I didn`t think too much of it. He greeted me, I responded politely and kept reading. A moment or 2 passed, and he said something brillant like, `reading the Bible...?`. I nodded and kept reading. He continued every couple of minutes or so to say things like how pleasant it was to sit in the shade, or to ask if I lived here in Saltillo. He explained he lived in one of the small towns a bit outside of the city. Small talk, you get the idea. I never uttered more that 1-2 words at a time, always going right back to reading. You know how sometimes you just have a feeling about people? He seemed pleasant enough on the surface, but I just had this gut reaction that I didn`t want to interact with him. I kept waiting for my husband to arrive - it was taking longer than he expected. Finally, the man began to work his way around to a point. `I really like ice cream.` Pause. `Do you?` Pause. `Can I invite you to get an ice cream?` I was so thankful to be able to truthfully answer, `I`m sorry. I am waiting for my husband.` He continued with his small talk type comments for another few minutes, and finally got up to leave. At which point it occurred to me that maybe I`d be better off waiting outside the office. :)
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
FAQ
As suggested by a good friend, I am going to share with you all this morning the most frequently asked questions posed to me in the last several months.
So, are you (getting) excited??
This question bugs me. Are you serious? Of course I'm excited! I'm getting married!! I think this is the kind of question people ask when they don't take the time to actually think of something to talk about.
When are you leaving/when is he coming?
This question, although much more valid than the last one, has definitely gotten old. But only because until just a couple of weeks ago, I had no good answer for this. Sometimes I'd give some vague answer about what we were hoping would happen, other times I just said I had no idea. And although I think I have handled all of our ever-changing plans pretty well (thank you very much), not being able to give a good answer to this question invariably brought on a subtle roll of anxiety in my gut.
Will you work when you get there?
Umm, I was thinking that moving to another country, mastering a foreign language, and getting married would be enough major adjustments for one time. Plus, just about any job is going to require a little more Spanish than I currently have. Of course, considering our current financial status, it may become necessary. Which kind of stresses me out sometimes.
How many days?
This one is asked consistently by a few people who know how much I enjoy counting down to the wedding :) (32 days, in case you didn't notice. and only 9 until he gets here!)
Are you ready?
This one has started popping up more recently. I usually answer that I don't think it is really possible for me to know until it happens. I don't even have anything remotely close in my life to compare this to.
How are your parents with all of this?
Not a bad question, I suppose, except that the answer seems so obvious. How do you think they are doing? They feel like just about any parent would feel (at least, within a healthy family relationship)...they are excited about the marriage to a great guy, excited their daughter is happy, sad that we'll be living so far away.
The extreme repetitiveness of these questions makes me feel a bit like a high school senior (you know, when all you are ever asked is if you "know what you want to do next year/with the rest of your life?"). It's not that some of the questions aren't valid, but that so many times it feels like the person asking didn't give any thought to the conversation, just grabbed onto the easiest, most obvious question that popped into their head. It also makes me feel a bit one dimensional, if that makes sense. I truly appreciate the few who show how much they truly care (even if they do ask one of the FAQs), who you can tell stopped what they were doing or thinking about long enough to really listen and go a little deeper than the surface.
Questions I wished I was asked more often:
Is there anything I can do for you?/Do you need anything?
I don't always have a good answer for this one, but it makes me feel cared for. Luggage and cash are about the only gifts I'm accepting at this point. Help packing can be nice. Prayers are huge. Speaking of which...
How can I pray?
I love this one. There are so few tangible ways anyone can help me, but there are lots of things I'll take prayer for. My answer can vary based on who I am talking to and what other things we've already discussed, but a few of the biggies include:
-FB's job situation. His current salary does not even come close to cutting it. And I'm just talking paying the bills, not anything extra or comfort based.
-My Spanish!
-My transition. This is a huge change, and it's only gonna work by God's grace. Related to this - my emotions. To be able to process them in a healthy way without becoming overwhelmed by them. Also related - building relationships with people even though I'm not yet fluent in their language.
-Honestly, I truly worry sometimes about whether I'll be a good wife. I'm thinking that probably a lot of soon-to-be-married women have this concern. Mine is compounded by all the cultural adjustments (will I be able to make foods he likes/is used to? will homemaking skills I have here easily transfer to a place with different customs and resources? will my Spanish improve quickly enough for me to be able to communicate effectively with him?)
Of course, watch - I'll end up missing being asked all these questions once I'm surrounded by non-English speakers and missing everyone here :P
So, are you (getting) excited??
This question bugs me. Are you serious? Of course I'm excited! I'm getting married!! I think this is the kind of question people ask when they don't take the time to actually think of something to talk about.
When are you leaving/when is he coming?
This question, although much more valid than the last one, has definitely gotten old. But only because until just a couple of weeks ago, I had no good answer for this. Sometimes I'd give some vague answer about what we were hoping would happen, other times I just said I had no idea. And although I think I have handled all of our ever-changing plans pretty well (thank you very much), not being able to give a good answer to this question invariably brought on a subtle roll of anxiety in my gut.
Will you work when you get there?
Umm, I was thinking that moving to another country, mastering a foreign language, and getting married would be enough major adjustments for one time. Plus, just about any job is going to require a little more Spanish than I currently have. Of course, considering our current financial status, it may become necessary. Which kind of stresses me out sometimes.
How many days?
This one is asked consistently by a few people who know how much I enjoy counting down to the wedding :) (32 days, in case you didn't notice. and only 9 until he gets here!)
Are you ready?
This one has started popping up more recently. I usually answer that I don't think it is really possible for me to know until it happens. I don't even have anything remotely close in my life to compare this to.
How are your parents with all of this?
Not a bad question, I suppose, except that the answer seems so obvious. How do you think they are doing? They feel like just about any parent would feel (at least, within a healthy family relationship)...they are excited about the marriage to a great guy, excited their daughter is happy, sad that we'll be living so far away.
The extreme repetitiveness of these questions makes me feel a bit like a high school senior (you know, when all you are ever asked is if you "know what you want to do next year/with the rest of your life?"). It's not that some of the questions aren't valid, but that so many times it feels like the person asking didn't give any thought to the conversation, just grabbed onto the easiest, most obvious question that popped into their head. It also makes me feel a bit one dimensional, if that makes sense. I truly appreciate the few who show how much they truly care (even if they do ask one of the FAQs), who you can tell stopped what they were doing or thinking about long enough to really listen and go a little deeper than the surface.
Questions I wished I was asked more often:
Is there anything I can do for you?/Do you need anything?
I don't always have a good answer for this one, but it makes me feel cared for. Luggage and cash are about the only gifts I'm accepting at this point. Help packing can be nice. Prayers are huge. Speaking of which...
How can I pray?
I love this one. There are so few tangible ways anyone can help me, but there are lots of things I'll take prayer for. My answer can vary based on who I am talking to and what other things we've already discussed, but a few of the biggies include:
-FB's job situation. His current salary does not even come close to cutting it. And I'm just talking paying the bills, not anything extra or comfort based.
-My Spanish!
-My transition. This is a huge change, and it's only gonna work by God's grace. Related to this - my emotions. To be able to process them in a healthy way without becoming overwhelmed by them. Also related - building relationships with people even though I'm not yet fluent in their language.
-Honestly, I truly worry sometimes about whether I'll be a good wife. I'm thinking that probably a lot of soon-to-be-married women have this concern. Mine is compounded by all the cultural adjustments (will I be able to make foods he likes/is used to? will homemaking skills I have here easily transfer to a place with different customs and resources? will my Spanish improve quickly enough for me to be able to communicate effectively with him?)
Of course, watch - I'll end up missing being asked all these questions once I'm surrounded by non-English speakers and missing everyone here :P
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Reasons to smile :)
A beautiful, and I mean beautiful, drive on Saturday. The trees had to be close to peak, and we had just the right mix of rain and sun to appreciate the beauty of both!
Grape pie....yummm! And grape bread! And strawberry-rhubarb pie!
Forks and napkins for the taking so you can sample your grape pie as soon as you buy it!
4 kids (the children of a good friend) who are always happy to see me and give me lots of hugs (even if they do sometimes drive me crazy)!
Officially less than 2 months until my wedding!!!
Being asked at the last minute to translate the sermon for a Hispanic women - and doing a decent job of it!
Nieces and nephews! (and the special moments I got to share with them this weekend - like when my 2 yr old niece laid herself down in my arms when sleepy; or when my 4 yr old nephew explained that his new baby sister smiles when he kisses her, so whenever someone wants to see her smile, he kisses her; or when my 2 yr old nephew recited some of the lines with me when I read to him from his favorite books....)
Siblings teasing each other!
'Talking' to my man 5 times in an 8 day period! (with camera, and little to no internet problems!)
Realizing Monday morning that in paying attention to the heavier than usual traffic, I had failed to pay attention to where I was - and had driven right past my exit!
Grape pie....yummm! And grape bread! And strawberry-rhubarb pie!
Forks and napkins for the taking so you can sample your grape pie as soon as you buy it!
4 kids (the children of a good friend) who are always happy to see me and give me lots of hugs (even if they do sometimes drive me crazy)!
Officially less than 2 months until my wedding!!!
Being asked at the last minute to translate the sermon for a Hispanic women - and doing a decent job of it!
Nieces and nephews! (and the special moments I got to share with them this weekend - like when my 2 yr old niece laid herself down in my arms when sleepy; or when my 4 yr old nephew explained that his new baby sister smiles when he kisses her, so whenever someone wants to see her smile, he kisses her; or when my 2 yr old nephew recited some of the lines with me when I read to him from his favorite books....)
Siblings teasing each other!
'Talking' to my man 5 times in an 8 day period! (with camera, and little to no internet problems!)
Realizing Monday morning that in paying attention to the heavier than usual traffic, I had failed to pay attention to where I was - and had driven right past my exit!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue
Ok, so really this post only contains something borrowed and something new, but as a soon to be bride, the title just seemed appropriate.
Here's the borrowed part:
On the way home, I asked The Mom, what with her closeness to God and all, why she didn't listen to him when he told us not to go. She replied that every good Catholic knows you should never listen when God speaks. "No good comes from it. It's either sacrifice your son, or build an ark, or wander the desert, or you're pregnant with my baby and good luck with that. Trust me, this camping trip was way better than any of those things."
I just found that too funny, and had to share. You can read the whole post here.
Plus, it seemed to fit with the thoughts I have left over from a phone conversation last night with a good friend. (This would be the 'new' part - as in my new and recent thoughts on things...)
You see, at first glance, the above description of what happens when God speaks to you would appear accurate. And in reality, it is often what it feels like to walk it out. Like God is asking something ridiculous of you, something way too hard, with no clear happy ending in sight. As my friend said last night, "God doesn't answer why. The question is what for?" But we usually want to know why, and sometimes despair when that question isn't answered.
But then you look deeper, closer. You ask the right question. And all those stories mentioned above get a lot bigger, with a lot more purpose. Miraculous even. So very worth it.
This season of my life has some definite hard parts. And although I've told you about some of them here, there are actually very few people that know all the things that have been conspiring together to make this harder than I would have ever guessed. There have been many, many changes to our best laid plans. Those who know me well know that dealing with change has not traditionally been a strong suit of mine.
Yet, I have had a deep sense of peace walking this out. In the midst of everything, nothing has shaken my belief that I am exactly where God wants me, doing exactly what He wants me to do. And, of course, I've had the encouragement of His pep talks and gifts in this final stretch.
I've had several people comment to me about how well I've rolled with the changes lately. That stands as one of my most convincing proofs that I'm exactly where I should be, because there is no way I would take all this so well unless God was walking me through it and giving me His peace and confidence.
I guess I say all of that to say - as funny as I find that quote I started with, I'd rather listen even when it's hard. And I'm looking forward to seeing the answer to 'what for?'.
Here's the borrowed part:
On the way home, I asked The Mom, what with her closeness to God and all, why she didn't listen to him when he told us not to go. She replied that every good Catholic knows you should never listen when God speaks. "No good comes from it. It's either sacrifice your son, or build an ark, or wander the desert, or you're pregnant with my baby and good luck with that. Trust me, this camping trip was way better than any of those things."
I just found that too funny, and had to share. You can read the whole post here.
Plus, it seemed to fit with the thoughts I have left over from a phone conversation last night with a good friend. (This would be the 'new' part - as in my new and recent thoughts on things...)
You see, at first glance, the above description of what happens when God speaks to you would appear accurate. And in reality, it is often what it feels like to walk it out. Like God is asking something ridiculous of you, something way too hard, with no clear happy ending in sight. As my friend said last night, "God doesn't answer why. The question is what for?" But we usually want to know why, and sometimes despair when that question isn't answered.
But then you look deeper, closer. You ask the right question. And all those stories mentioned above get a lot bigger, with a lot more purpose. Miraculous even. So very worth it.
This season of my life has some definite hard parts. And although I've told you about some of them here, there are actually very few people that know all the things that have been conspiring together to make this harder than I would have ever guessed. There have been many, many changes to our best laid plans. Those who know me well know that dealing with change has not traditionally been a strong suit of mine.
Yet, I have had a deep sense of peace walking this out. In the midst of everything, nothing has shaken my belief that I am exactly where God wants me, doing exactly what He wants me to do. And, of course, I've had the encouragement of His pep talks and gifts in this final stretch.
I've had several people comment to me about how well I've rolled with the changes lately. That stands as one of my most convincing proofs that I'm exactly where I should be, because there is no way I would take all this so well unless God was walking me through it and giving me His peace and confidence.
I guess I say all of that to say - as funny as I find that quote I started with, I'd rather listen even when it's hard. And I'm looking forward to seeing the answer to 'what for?'.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Pre-Wedding Advice
So, I went around all weekend on retreat and asked married women (and widows) this question:
What do I need to know before I get married? What do you wish you had known, or what have you learned?
Here's some of my favorite answers (covering the spectrum of spiritual to funny):
* Put God first, then your husband, then your kids. It's too easy to let the kids rise to the top.
(I noticed on this one that I don't even make the list!)
* Communicate clearly about everything, from the beginning. Don't let stuff build up.
* No matter how poor you are, or how busy you are - go on dates!
* "Don't expect him to be just like Jesus. I thought at first he would be, because he loved me."
* Overlook the little annoyances. Chances are, he's clueless, not intentional.
* When you want God to change things in your husband - He'll probably change you!
* "I wish someone would have warned me - he poked me in the middle of the night, woke me up. And I was like, really? Now? I was sound asleep!"
* Laugh! Have a sense of humor!
* "Keep your mouth shut! and that's from someone who didn't :)"
* Know the difference between talking and communicating.
* There may be a day when you wake up and think, "Who are you? What am I doing here?" But push through it, and you'll come out with a strengthened marriage.
Anyone have anything else to add?? I'd love to hear from you!
What do I need to know before I get married? What do you wish you had known, or what have you learned?
Here's some of my favorite answers (covering the spectrum of spiritual to funny):
* Put God first, then your husband, then your kids. It's too easy to let the kids rise to the top.
(I noticed on this one that I don't even make the list!)
* Communicate clearly about everything, from the beginning. Don't let stuff build up.
* No matter how poor you are, or how busy you are - go on dates!
* "Don't expect him to be just like Jesus. I thought at first he would be, because he loved me."
* Overlook the little annoyances. Chances are, he's clueless, not intentional.
* When you want God to change things in your husband - He'll probably change you!
* "I wish someone would have warned me - he poked me in the middle of the night, woke me up. And I was like, really? Now? I was sound asleep!"
* Laugh! Have a sense of humor!
* "Keep your mouth shut! and that's from someone who didn't :)"
* Know the difference between talking and communicating.
* There may be a day when you wake up and think, "Who are you? What am I doing here?" But push through it, and you'll come out with a strengthened marriage.
Anyone have anything else to add?? I'd love to hear from you!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Dorky?
I'm not sure what I expected, but I am surprised how much higher I came out on History/Lit than I did on Science/Math. Actually, now that I write that, I realize that although I love Math, I've never been big on Science.
Anyways, below you will see the measure of my nerdiness or geekness, whatever word you prefer. You can thank OTRgirl
for this entertainment.
Anyways, below you will see the measure of my nerdiness or geekness, whatever word you prefer. You can thank OTRgirl
for this entertainment.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Funny Mistake
A quick story from my Mexico trip that I almost forgot I wanted to tell:
While I was there this time, we went back to several of the places we had gone last summer together. One afternoon we went to visit the little town where he proposed to me last year. For those who don't know or don't remember, let me recap the proposal story real quick.
The night before, he had told me there was something he wanted to ask me, paused, and then said he would ask me the next day. Needless to say, I was dying of curiosity and very nervous, but held myself in check. So we went to this little town outside the city a little ways, spent a couple of hours walking and chatting, having lunch, etc. Eventually, we sat down on a bench, and he worked himself up to ask me his question.
He asked, in English, "Do you like me?"
I said yes, and he went on to tell me (again in English), "You are beautiful, you are special, your face reflects the Lord, and Jesus is first in my heart, then you."
By the end of the conversation, we were engaged.
Many thought it was strange to have gone from, "Do you like me?" to a marriage proposal. I thought maybe he wanted to just make sure we were on the same page since all week I had just been going along with his initiative. I also wasn't totally sure if, "Do you like me?" was his big question or if, "Do you want to marry me?" was.
So, this year, we visit this place again. As we walked by the bench where we sat last year, I gave him a hard time for the way he made me wait overnight to find out what his question was. He shook his head as if a little ashamed of himself and understood how hard that had been for me. A little while later, I asked if he remembered his question. This time, he kind of laughed to himself for a minute. Then he explained, "I wanted to ask, 'Me quieres?' and instead I asked, 'Te gusto?'" That is, he meant to say in English, "Do you love me?" and instead mistakenly asked, "Do you like me?"
I'm glad I brought it up - makes a lot more sense, don't you think?
While I was there this time, we went back to several of the places we had gone last summer together. One afternoon we went to visit the little town where he proposed to me last year. For those who don't know or don't remember, let me recap the proposal story real quick.
The night before, he had told me there was something he wanted to ask me, paused, and then said he would ask me the next day. Needless to say, I was dying of curiosity and very nervous, but held myself in check. So we went to this little town outside the city a little ways, spent a couple of hours walking and chatting, having lunch, etc. Eventually, we sat down on a bench, and he worked himself up to ask me his question.
He asked, in English, "Do you like me?"
I said yes, and he went on to tell me (again in English), "You are beautiful, you are special, your face reflects the Lord, and Jesus is first in my heart, then you."
By the end of the conversation, we were engaged.
Many thought it was strange to have gone from, "Do you like me?" to a marriage proposal. I thought maybe he wanted to just make sure we were on the same page since all week I had just been going along with his initiative. I also wasn't totally sure if, "Do you like me?" was his big question or if, "Do you want to marry me?" was.
So, this year, we visit this place again. As we walked by the bench where we sat last year, I gave him a hard time for the way he made me wait overnight to find out what his question was. He shook his head as if a little ashamed of himself and understood how hard that had been for me. A little while later, I asked if he remembered his question. This time, he kind of laughed to himself for a minute. Then he explained, "I wanted to ask, 'Me quieres?' and instead I asked, 'Te gusto?'" That is, he meant to say in English, "Do you love me?" and instead mistakenly asked, "Do you like me?"
I'm glad I brought it up - makes a lot more sense, don't you think?
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