YAAAAY!!!

Im so excited about the Women's Conference this weekend!
Carla Borja Lowe is our guest speaker for the conference. The theme is going to be "Las Buenas Nuevas" or the Good News. The conference will take place this Saturday and Sunday. I ,like usual, am in charge of the food for Sundays lunch menu.

The reason I'm out of my head excited is because Carla is MEXICAN!!!!!! She was born in Campeche, Mexico. She lived and studied in Mexico City. She was a missionary in Mexico for a number of years and spent 4 1/2 years in Italy. Shes a lot of fun!
There is finally someone around that speaks my language, that is Mexican spanish. Although spanish is spanish is spanish, certain vocabulary, certain idioms, certain tonations of certain words make all the difference in the message and emotion you want to convey.
I have a certain emotional tie with words. For example "Mande", this world is strickly Mexican. This word is used in different ways in different situations but no matter what the circumstance it always means respect. The word itself comes from the verb "mandar" which is send or command. So when some one calls your name your (or my) initial response is to say "mande?" which translates to "command me" or "at your services." So since they dont say that here in Paraguay, its not natural and at times it confuses people. So I have stopped saying that and in turn makes me feel like Ive become just a little less respectful and a presented with hint of identity loss. Which comes with the territory of living abroad. Every now and then it slips out.
SO, yesterday when Carla got here I called her name and she didnt hear me she said "Mande?" I jumped for joy! I told her that I am so happy that I can say "mande"!! Words and expressions like "guapo" "Que Padre!" "platicar" "hablando al widdy widdy." Mexicans pretty much speak in idioms and expressions. It hilarious and I love it! And she said shes going to cook Méxican food! Using things from the states! Which is a lot closer to what I can get using paraguayan ingredients when I cook Mexican food!
I usually do translating from english to spanish and at times vice versa. Im glad I will get to be Carlas translater for Mexican to Paraguayan spanish and vice versa. I will still have to keep my day job since she won't really need me to survive or anything but it certainly brings a comfort from home.
I also get the priveledge of picking and choosing at times the Ethnicity I want to be. Sometimes I'm Mexican sometimes I'm American and at times im both....or im always both.....and never one or the other.....dont know but its fun!!

Update to come: Womens Seminar!!

Adios!