Cardboard and Eggs December 4, 2008
Posted by Ken Newton in : Life in Panama , trackbackWhat a great day….
We decided today that we needed to buy a table and chairs - you know, the things you use to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. The house we are renting is quite nice, but it was missing a few outdoor items, like a table and chairs. So, we drove into David, and found something that stood out amongst the others (which isn’t all that difficult). As everyone knows, a car is a means of transporting not only people, but anything that might fit in or on it. So, on to the roof went the table, and with it tied through the windows and Lynda keeping an eye on things, we drove home with our exciting new possessions.
By the way, how’s that for de-toxing. If anyone knows me, they will know that I take great care in the appearance of my car, and to have something sitting on the roof making microscopic scratches or even more, took a considerable amount of effort on may part.
When we arrived home, the first thing we noticed was that the cows from across the road had decided the grass was greener on the other side of the road. Our fence was down, and, with all of the rain we have had, there was overwhelming evidence of the cows visit with a multitude of 6 inch holes in the yard. I have yet to see what foliage was their preference, but it seems they were not interested in the orange and grapefruit trees.
All that aside, we unloaded the table and chairs and proceeded to assemble the table. Surprisingly, everything was as described and in exact quantities as stated on the assembly instructions. But when all was accomplished, we had a great deal of cardboard packaging to dispose of. We had been told that cardboard is very important for use in stoves, so we bundled it up and headed down the road to a home whose chickens and roosters always assured us an early start to our day. We stood in front of the home with our cardboard and waited for someone to notice us. Almost instantly a lady came out and beckoned to us that she would like the cardboard. We had connected..
As we gave her the cardboard, she talked excitedly to us in Spanish, and we had to tell her that we could not understand. She then ran back into the house and reappeared with 3 eggs. She touched her heart, smiled at us, and gave us the eggs. How can I ever start to say what we felt….
Anyway - we “talked” for another 15 minutes or so. We learned some names of plants. We agreed that we would buy eggs from her instead of buying them from the grocery store. And we agreed that we would try to learn Spanish if she would try to learn a little English. It is amazing how one can communicate by looking into the eyes, and using a means other than vocabulary to “talk” to one another. And, her name is Catalina.
If only all of us could share and listen to one another with the effort and emotions and care as it takes to communicate without knowing the other’s dialect…. I am learning that I have not been a good listener before now.
And, as darkness settled in, Lynda and I had a wonderful candlelight dinner at our new table. Not so much the dinner, for indeed it contained green, yellow and red peppers, carrots, onions, pepper, chicken and a bed of pasta. Healthy yes - KFC, not even close….
But the wine and the candlelight and the company were magic. And, it didn’t rain….
Comments»
Ken, I just found your blog and LOVE reading your entries. Your entry today really touched me and even made me cry. I could totally see Catalina’s face as she handed you the eggs. What a wonderful like you and Lynda have embarked upon.
I’m happy to hear the rain has stopped and that you are all safe. I will try to connect with Paul and Linda and the kids but am still not sure if they have internet either. I miss them terribly. I always show Will their picture and he points and says, “ucle Paul, where go?”
Anywho, i’m glad to connect with you guys. If you want to check out Will’s blog sometime, you can by going to http://www.thebirofamily.blogspot.com
I often think about the first time we spoke on the phone. Your presence in my like has definately left a wonderful mark.
All the best to you and Lynda and your new adventure. Keep in touch.
Sonia
This post sounds a good bit happier and it made me smile for you. What a great illustration of “connecting” with Catalina. I’ll continue to pray for y’all.
Great story… we practically feel we are there with you exploring the shopping in David. Wish I could be there to help translate a little. I too can relate about needing to be a better listener…especially when someone is speaking a foreign language.
Now a question… Cuando comiendo sus huevos frescos? (Mini-Spanish lesson.. which my sentence structure may be a bit rusty… but I like to call it…”functional” Spanish)… Losely translated, I’m asking you… “When are you going to eat your fresh eggs?”
P.S. A great website for translating words between english and spanish or a few other languages is… http://www.wordreference.com
Buena Suerte mis amigos! (Good luck my friends)