Chase, Tara, mom, and I had just ordered our drinks and meals in a restaurant in Huatulco when Bob and Debbie from Alaya rounded the corner with my dad. They joined us at the table and ordered their food. Looking at Tara, Chase, and me, my mom pulled out the Spanish-English dictionary said, "Ok, I have a game for us." "I'll pick a random phrase out of the dictionary for Casey and she'll pick one for me. Tara you pick Chase's and Chase picks Tara's. We have to learn what ever the phrase is and say it when the person who picked your word tells you to." I knew she was just trying to make us learn more Spanish, but it sounded fun. We rummaged, one at a time, through the dictionary looking for funny phrases that would probably be embarrassing.

Chase picked Tara's first. "Ok, Tara I've got yours. It's: 'is it safe here?' And you have to say it in your most nervous tone to the waiter." He repeated the words in Spanish to Tara who absent-mindedly wrote on the outside of her hand where everyone could see it (rather than on the inside, where it's hidden). "Chase, yours is: 'I can't take out your trash.' And you have to say that to the taxis driver." Chase wrote the Spanish version on the inside of his hand. I picked my moms. "Yours is: 'I am innocent!!!'" I told her. "And you have to yell it in the busy town square." Well, she got me back. "Fine Casey, yours is: 'does it have a guarantee?' And you have to say that when you get your Ice Cream."

Satisfied with the words we picked for each other we finished our meal. We walked around town and I forgot to say my phrase when I ordered ice cream, but my mom randomly yelled "Soy innocente!" on a busy street corner on the square. A few people gave her strange looks. Chase, Tara and I hailed a cab, to go back to the Marina Chaue, where our boats were. We got in the cab and half way there, Tara said, "Ok Chase, you have to say your phrase when we get to the marina." Chase looked at her nervously, but we had all promised we'd do it.

After I paid the Taxi driver, Chase said "No Puedo, Sakar la basura." To the taxi driver and walked off. The Taxi driver looked at him, smiled and drove off. We laughed all the way to Chase's boat, where we watched a movie on their big screen TV. Chase and my mom were the only ones to say their phrases that day. Tara and I will have to say ours another day. It was a fun way to learn a few more Spanish words...