Norte o Sur

“HA HA HA HA HA!”

Yali apparently finds it hilarious to yank on Oxbear’s beard with his little brown hands, laugh loudly, then bury his face in it, laugh loudly again, then eat it. Yes, eat his dad’s beard.

David laughed at him while we waited in the doctor’s office for his TB test Friday afternoon.

“He’s done this since the first day,” I explained.

“Ah, yes. It is a new thing for him,” David said. “We cannot grow those kinds of beards here.”

It’s true – I hadn’t seen another beard of that quality since we left the States. Even in the States they’re hard to come by, unless you happen along a hipster colony.

Saturday morning was so quiet. All of the French families were gone now. I wondered about the two kind ladies – probably in their late 50s/early 60s – who operated the whole place. It felt like a monastery. They even had living quarters in the back of the complex.

We hit the streets again towards four o’clock, pausing at Pepe Ganga for a backpack (Big Hero 6 for Puck), more Tobelrones for Oxbear, and some Haribo raspberry/blackberry gummies for me (reminiscent of quite a few trips to the ship’s candy shop for myself and Carrie-Bri during the Bahamas cruise of 2011).

Walked past Pizza Hut and Hooter’s to Papa John’s for more cheesy bread to watch the Cubs lose again. I don’t know why we ate there. I’m just always in the mood for more cheese and bread I guess. Plus, the guy who speaks English was working there again. Considering that we haven’t seen another American in the past two and a half weeks, it’s nice to hear your mother tongue from time to time.

Then Office Depot Express on a chilly walk back to the B&B: makeshift origami paper for Oxbear. Yali enjoys his little cranes, stars, mice, and airplanes.

By this time, I forgot I was in South America.

In recent news regarding Yali’s highly limited vocabulary – Spanish or English – he continues to recognize me as “Mama”. Makes me happy. Of course, he also calls every stuffed animal he sees, “mamamamamama”. I’m not too offended.