Uncle's birthday

Stories

July 27

Notice the blue polo shirt in the middle.

Panama, Christmas 2013. After meeting Gabriel on the go, and having done the knowledge of his mother, his grandmother and an ocelot, here I am invited to a "little surprise party" for the fiftieth of his uncle.

So I arrive at the said little party in the company of Gabriel and his family. Just like when I arrived at the mother's house, the uncle finds it extremely normal to have a Canadian arriving at his house for his 50th birthday. I am welcomed as one of them. During the evening, I will be notably invited to play dominoes, to have my make-up done, and to eat plates of food which would be enough for me for a week!

There are about fifty people at the party, almost half of whom are children. As only Gabriel speaks a little English, this is the forced opportunity to practice my Spanish.

Children are the most questioners. Learning that I come from Canada, they spend the evening asking me questions about the snow and the animals we have around here. Ish that I didn't learn that in high school that vocabulary ... uh, beaver? My imitation of the beaver not being convincing enough, I try to find another animal. The holiday season saves me when it strikes me that Rudolph is a reindeer, almost a deer. Their face is not beaten when they realize that there are Rudolphs on every corner.

One of my biggest surprises was probably the huge presence of "typical" Christmas decorations. The garlands to represent ice cubes are quite offset considering that it is about 35 degrees. But this is nothing compared to the completely dried tree found in the living room. In front of my astonishment, I was told that the trees are imported mainly from Quebec in refrigerated containers to Panama ... where they will dry in 2-3 days!

Before leaving them at the end of the evening, I tell them that I will never forget their hospitality and kindness. Under their applause, their smiles and their caresses, I told myself that I did well to board with Gabriel rather than with the hotel's VIP taxi, less dangerous!