Friday, February 29, 2008

You learn something new every day. Today I learned two things

As I was waiting for a taxi after school today I got bit or stung in the leg. The critter was actually in my pants and for about a full minute I was squirming around yelping and swatting at my leg. I wanted to yank my pants off, but there I was in front of the school.
When I got home I found a saucer sized red mark on my leg, which I immediately showed to our maid. She said, "avispa." I didn't know the meaning of this Spanish word, but because my leg was still throbbing I figured it was the name of a deadly South American spider and got ready to take myself to the hospital.
But before I did that I thought I'd just look up avispa in my Spanish/English dictionary. Now I know two things: 1) avispa means wasp and 2) wasp stings hurt like hell.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Conclusion? Always wear skirts or dresses!
I've had my problems with the Colombian insects (that explains why Chris calls me Leen de los Gusanos), can imagine how much it hurts and itches.

Great to read your blog! xx

leen said...

Hi girl!

Conclusion: always wear a skirt or dress in Barranquilla! I've had my deal of trouble with the insects over there as well (if you ever why Chris still calls me 'Leen de los gusanos', this might be a hint)

Great to read your blog, hope to visit again soon