Top Five

I’ve been in Mexico five years this month. In celebration here is a list of some of my “top five” things from my time in the tribe.

5 Nahuatl words that English borrows:
chocolate
coyote
avocado
chili
tomato

5 Things that surprised the Nahuatl about white people:
Our babies grow inside our stomachs
We get sick
We sometimes get mad
White women have periods
Siblings sometimes fight

5 Reasons my language helper thinks I might be fat:
I eat vegetables
I take vitamins
I’ve never gotten married
I’ve never had kids
It’s cold where I come from

5 of my favorite Nahuatl words:
Turúruchi (throat)
Ahtsiwi (to sneeze…onomatopoeia, anyone?)
Tiwetsikatikatikalá (we were smiling…and if were weren’t before we said it, we probably will be by the time we get it out)
Íkichi (neck…it makes me itchy when I say it)
Umpa unka (it’s over there…did you say oompa loompa?)

5 reasons the village thinks I’m crazy:
I tried to explain a lightning rod
I tried to explain a tsunami
I tried to explain the seasons
I tried to explain our satellite
I try to explain things

5 ways I’ve been described:
She swims like a fish (in the creek that is barely over my head)
She has arms like a pink shrimp (accompanied by squeezing)
Her skin is as white as an egret
She looks like a ripe tomato (the sun is brutal here)
She is always cleaning everything

5 things that have been said to me by the village children:
“Your hair is the color of hay.”
“Stop washing your hands!  You’re white enough already!”
“Your tortillas turn out really ugly.”
“You have little hairs coming out of your legs!”
“Your arms really have a lot of meat on them.”

5 luxurious items I own that the people are not impressed by:
A nice camera
A laptop
An iPod
A Kindle
A satellite for internet

5 items that I own that the people find luxurious:
Shampoo
A dish drainer
Rain boots
A couch
Sunglasses

5 things the Nahuatl fear:
The dark
Being alone
The fog
Rainbows
Drunk people

5 cool color names in Nahuatl:
Ash
Dawn
Parrot
Cactus flower
Hot pepper

Five things the villagers find strange about people in the US:
They’re not all related to each other
They sit out in the sun on purpose to make themselves darker (or get sprayed a darker color)
They don’t eat tortillas every day
They don’t know how to sew their own clothes
They aren’t all white

5 things I will miss about my home here during furlough:
Spending time with the Nahuatl and my teammates
Fresh corn tortillas and homemade cheese
Agustina’s constant enthusiasm to study the Word of God
The clouds rolling up out of the canyon
The Nahuatl people’s kindness, generosity, and willingness to laugh

That’s it for now.  Can’t wait for the next five years to begin!