2 More Lychee Converts

This past Sunday I had to go to the carniceria (butcher) down the street to pick up meat for dinner. When I got there I ran into Daniela and her little non-Spanish-speaking friend, Elena. They are our neighbors and Daniela is the girl that gave me the "chicken" a few weeks ago. Elena, the littler girl, only speaks Mazateco - her family is from down south in Oaxaca, Mexico. She's a cutie! I sympathize with her and can better understand the reason why people fawned over us so when we were younger. You ask her something in Spanish and she responds with wide eyes and a shy smile - probably our same response before learning Spanish. Elena is probably four, which is cute because Nicole was five when we moved to Mexico.

Natchi Elena

Anyways - Daniela said she'd wait with me then walk me home after picking up the things I needed. We sat on the bench inside the butcher's shop while he worked on my order. Daniela sat there swinging her legs back and forth while we talked about Sunday school and what the lesson was going to be about that day. She randomly popped out with "my dad started drinking again". Matter-of-fact. What could I say? I said the first thing that came to my mind: "Had he ever quit?" I don't know. It amazes me though at what losers these kids have as parents. Daniela lives with her uncle that runs around town dressed as a woman.

After finishing at the butcher's, we went to the verduleria (vegetable and fruit store). I was elated to see a crate of lychees outside - I'd forgotten this is the season they come out!! Nicole and I are crazy about lychee - the outside shell is pinkish-purple and bumpy. They are about the size of a ping pong ball and the fruit inside looks like a peeled grape. They are tangy and sweet. There's nothing like them! We eat them like popcorn, one after the other :D

Daniela said she'd never had lychee so I told her after we left that I'd let her and Elena taste one. I bought what I needed and we started walking home. A bird hopped across the sidewalk and Elena waved at it and said, "Hola!" Daniela smiled proudly and said, "See? She is learning!"
We got to the door of my house and I said I would see them in a little while at Sunday school. Daniela put her hand on her hip and with wrinkled eyebrows and bit of sassiness said, "Hey. Didn't you say you were going to give us a taste of that fruit?" Whoops! Almost forgot!

Daniela, Elena, and Elena's baby sister came to Sunday school later on that day. They are a cute little trio!

~Bethany~