Bert and Ernie teach me a final lesson - childhood throwbacks are not considered trendy in Asunción

The first Spanish slang word I learned here was "maricon." It means "faggot." As in:

"Quien es el maricon con la mochila de Las Tortugas Ninja?"

or

"Who's the faggot with the Ninja Turtles backpack?"

It seems that Paraguayans, unlike many Seattleites, are not impressed by a teenage boy who spends hours rummaging through old closets, thrift stores and garage sales for something that might have been the least exciting present at his fourth grade birthday party.

They would likely ridicule the all-too-common Seattle high schooler - sporting a Curious George t-shirt, carrying a Magic School Bus lunchbox and singing the theme from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Men In Black you can get away with, because it just hit theatres here).

So, I have learned the hard way to fight my impulse to wear my Star Wars shoes, use my Hello Kitty debit card or ask bartenders to change the TV channel so I can watch Arthur reruns. In the meantime I mark this cultural difference on my list of "American trends which may never reach Asuncion."


Join me next Saturday for "Apparently, the Paraguayans I know read this blog. Good thing I have been so carefully respectful of Paraguayan culture. "