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March 30, 2005
Ramblings
I have asked, but have yet to hear a convincing answer: Why are New York Yankees hats so popular in Bogota, a city where most know nothing about baseball?
Why are thongs called Brazilian panties in Colombia when Brazilians do not wear thongs? As far as I can remember, Brazilian underwear companies don't even manufacture thongs.
Why does the woman who cleans the house where I'm staying insists on calling me Su Merced, Spanish for "Your "Honor," even though I've told her I'm not a judge?
Why do Bogotanos sing "Happy Birthday to You" - yes, the English version - rather than the one in their native tongue?
Why does every cab driver think it's funny to tell me they know the word buseta has a much different meaning in Portuguese than the one it has in Spanish? In Spanish, buseta means a small bus; in Portuguese, it's a rude way to describe a woman's private part.
Posted by Fernanda Santos at March 30, 2005 8:54 AM
Comments
1) New York hats are popular in Bogota because of the whole movement of the music Reggeaton and their artist.
2) Thongs are called brazilian panties becasue they are famous for the beach carnival and it all relates.
3) Su Merced is a polite way of them referring to people. Every language has it's own slang. Like spanish words from argentina, mexico or colombia are all different wherther reffering to people, situation, curses etc...
4) They sing happy birthday I guess they like the english version, or maybe some of those people have been in the USA before and took some custom from them.
5) Yeah the cab driver is correct.
Posted by: Mandinga at March 17, 2008 10:47 AM