Here in Costa Rica I'm enjoying having some extra days off – we get Mother's Day off a week from Monday, we had today off because it the the Day of Our Lad
y of the Angels, the patron saint of Costa Rica. And we had last Monday off as well because of the Annexation of Guanacaste, Costa Rica's northwestern province that decided it preferred belonging to Costa Rica instead of Nicaragua. We celebrated the day at our last-Friday-of-the-month breakfast/party/birthday celebration. Everyone from the office brought a different kind of typical food, some of us wore sort of “traditional” wear and we had lots of fun making up and reciting “bombas” - a traditional kind of 4 line poem about daily life. Many of them are about love and romance, but they can really be about anything. For one activity we had to write “bombas” for the birthday girl. Some people are really good at making them up! I memorized 4 to say during the party. Head to the blog if you'd like to see them and their translations – and make sure to look at the pictures I posted on facebook! Enjoy the rest of this week!
Love,
Carrie
When I was on Isla Venado, doña Epi and pastor Eladio's grandchildren were all memorizing bombas to say at school the next day when they were going to celebrate the Annexation of Guanacaste. I had no idea how I was going to find bombas to say at the party on Friday, so I quick copied down a few so I could participate in the party.
El bejuco cuando nace
nace hojita por hojita
Así comienza el amor
Palabrita por palabrita
When the plant (generally like a Tarzan swing kind of plant) sprouts
It sprouts leaf by leaf
That is how love begins
word by word
Yo soy el que siempre he sido
y nunca dejaré de ser
Yo soy el pajarillo
que canta al amanecer
I am the one I have always been
and will never cease to be
I am the little bird
that sings at sunrise
Vos no podés negar
que yo tengo mis razones
Cuando uno quita la piedra
se acaban los tropezones
You can't deny
that I'm right
When one takes the stone away
the chance to stumble is no more
Ay mamita
qué zancudero
bajate el toldo
porque me muero
Holy cow
what a bunch of mosquitoes
Let down the cover
because I'm dying
So, there's a little piece of Costa Rican culture for you. (Translations mine) :-)
1 comment:
Carrie,
This is such a neat part of Costa Rican culture! I'm laughing at the one about the mosquitos . . .
I hope you are "catching some rays"-- Hope to talk to you soon!
~Michelle~
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