Spanish Lesson.

“Es importante que no metas la pata, especialmente porque eres una gringa.”

-The words of my spanish teacher, letting me know that for a tourist, less speech is more.

My conversational skills have improved monumentally, and I’ve also realized that formal speech and using all the tenses that we learn in Spanish class is not necessary on a simple level of communication. It’s even gotten to the point that I would rather say “No me importa” than “I don’t care”, and I usually say “Claro” instead of “Of course.” Here’s some local terms and phrases I’ve learned over the past month.

Se hizo pepa- Essentially, to haul ass, take off.

Ser camote de alguien- to be smitten by a person, such as some of the charming latin men that are unfortunately difficult to find.

Mitas Matas- Approach a stranger at a bar. Hold up your drink and say “Mitas Matas?” If they respond with affirmative body language, down half the drink and hand it to them. They should say something along the lines of “Ya pues, carajo,” and down the other half.

Chela- Cerveza, beer. Drinks are commonly called tapas. The most popular beers here are Paceña, Huari and Judas, the strongest beer EVER.

Paceña- The people of La Paz.

Farrear- tomar, to drink.

Chapi- Rubbish, Sketchy. Use it jokingly with friends or to describe something you don’t fancy.

Chaqi- Resaca, hungover.

Chakra- A “lamo”, or “uncool” person.

Although it means “to pick up”, don’t use Coger unless you’re in Spain.

Gringita.- With the diminutive “-ita” tacked on the end, it’s a way of fondly acknowledging a non-latin, poor spanish speaking gringa: yours truly.

Dar la vuelta- Means go around the corner, this is easily one of the most useful phrases I have learned here.

Salud, Dinero, Amor [and Paz].- We all know that Salud is the proper reply to a sneeze, but here, each sneeze receives a different wish. Paz for the fourth sneeze is customary in Peru.

Buen Inversion- A good deal, like the fruit and veggies here.

Maestro- Typical name for the conductor of a taxi or minibus.

Voy a bajar- Literally, I am going to lower. What to say when you want to get off a minibus or bus, which will stop anywhere for you.

Casera/Caserita/Casero- Typical name for a street vendor.

Puedes regalarme un…- Literally asking someone to “gift” you something, like a little bag for your fruit.

…and it never hurts to refer to people as amigo/amiga.

And curse words. You’ll learn a lot of those at futbol games. It’s a great feeling to be a language student and finally be able to use curse words fluently.

“Al mal tiempo, buena cara.”

-A common phrase here, used to tell a sad person to keep their chin up.

Alimentos [food and drink].

Te con Te- Add an extre Te, and it’s alcoholic.

Secombe- I’m assuming how this is spelt, it’s a traditional drink served during the same occasion as Te con Te. It looks incredibly enticing, foamy goodness bubbling out of the top of a glass. It’s prepared by mixing singhani alcohol into a hot brew with condensed milk and whisking it.

Salchipapa- Sausage and potato, fried or made on a grill. Usually made with a mix of sauces including ketchup, which here tastes like sweet and sour sauce.

Tucumanas- Somewhat like empanadas, they are fried and filled with meats while the vegetarian ones have eggs and potato. Only served during breakfast time, unfortunately. Tucumana stands have containers of vegetables and different sauces that you can top your breakfast with while you eat.

Salteñas- Similar to Tucumanas in appearance, yet these are baked and taste completely different. They taste somewhat like cornbread on the outside, and contain a soupy mixture of either meat or vegetables on the inside [vegetarian ones are difficult to find]. They’re also eaten for breakfast, and are absolutely awesome.

Cuñapes- Awesome cheesy spongy patty-things.

Humintas- They taste like corn bread yet look and feel like tamales. Great with coffee.

Yapa or ‘yapita’, porfavor- Asking for a little more, like the remainder of a delicious blended smoothie.