Mexico Adventures Part 3

Continued from Part 2.

Polo gave us a welcome greeting over the microphone, and Marcela translated. He was very happy that we came back to keep up with the dental program we installed last year. A common phrase we heard while there was, "This is your house," which is essentially the highest form of hospitality and welcome that you can give someone. While also translating, Marcela introduced the new members of our team that weren't here last year, and asked if the kids remembered the names of those who had come last year. They called out Christine's name easily, although pronounced it "Christy." I didn't expect them to remember my name, because for whatever reason, they seemed to love to flock around Christine(part of me thinks it might be how tall she is, and they find her height to be awesome). Even then though, after a hesitation, several kids on one side of the gathering yelled, "Emeeree." I really did feel very elated after that. I really like trying to connect with the kids, but it's really hard with the lanuage difference.

I was able to pick up on a couple phrases for minimal small talk, however. I knew, "Hola," "Como te yamas," "Como es tas," and "Bien." Basically that's the extent that my Spanish went. "Hi, how are you? What is your name?" The end.

I absolutely loved playing with the kids though. At their age, they are honestly fascinated by us. Comparable to being starstruck when you meet a celebrity, although I assume we are much more approachable. They love us, and love talking and playing with us. Even the shy ones.

The basic greeting for girls in Mexico is a handshake and kiss on the cheek. That means for a boy with girl greeting, and girl with girl greeting. Boy with boy is a handshake and sort of a close pat on the back, but it excludes the kiss. I was already used to this greeting from the trip last year, so it didn't take much to readjust. However, I can confidently say that I have never received as many kisses in one week as I did in that particular one. And possibly never will again.