To the Chihuahua

I've been mentioning a bit lately that we are hoping to be able to go to language school in Chihuahua, Mexico in May.

I was telling this to my class last Saturday and I was speaking mostly in Spanish as we were conversing about upcoming plans and such. When I said it I said that we were going " a la Chihuahua" which literally means "to the Chihuahua."

Mexican and Spanish are not always the same thing... and in Spanish I was off gramatically a bit because I didn't need to put the "la" or "the" in front of Chihuahua- it should have been "a chihuahua". The class started to laugh and the only reason I could figure they were giggling was that putting the "The" in there indicated that the Chihuahua I was speaking of was not the city but the dog... so I confusedly laughed along with them and corrected myself. Then I thought that saying "The Chihuahua" was giving it a grand importance as in "THE George Bush" so I said- yes- Chihuahua is a VERY important city to me- that's why I say "THE Chihuahua" the laughing is growing and my translator is falling down laughing at me and he says "DON'T SAY THAT!!- It's kinds like Swearing!!"
What did I say? I ask him- "I'll tell you after class"... so then I go on to tell the class in Spanish that it's obvious I need to go to Spanish classes so that I don't go around saying "The Chihuahua" which illicits even more laughter and a plea from my translator, Ivan, to stop saying that...

After class I'm talking with Ivan and I can't imagine what it is I said... He goes on to tell me that it is a saying in Mexico that is essentially a quite vulgur command. The word sounds a bit like chihuahua so folks have substituted the word Chihuahua for the other one. if you say "a chihuahua" it just means that you are going to the city of chihuahua.. if you put a "The" in there you are giving someone a vulgar command ... And I said it 3 times!!!

so, again, please pray that The Lord provides the needed funds for us to go to language school so I can stop swearing at my students!!

Until Next time,