Avocados and Brinjals

Sometimes funny things happen as you try to learn a new language. Thankfully, we haven't made the big blunders like if we tried to say, "open the door," but said something like, "open the bird" instead (who knows what would happen if we said that!!!).

YET. We are sure we will have our moments!

The other day, we were going through fruits and vegetables during our language study and our teachers were telling us the names in the language we are learning for all of these pictures of fruits and vegetables.

First, have you ever heard of a brinjal? In the English book we had, it listed this fruit. We look at each other and then back at our language teachers and say, "what is that?" And they give us some other name we've never heard of.

So we say again, "what is it?" They are confused, because they think in this book are the English names, so why are we asking what it is??

I pick up the book and look through it some more and figure out that it is a British English book, so not everything is the same as what we know.

Finally, we determine that this brinjal is actually an eggplant.

When we say "eggplant" our teachers get the craziest looks on their faces!!

They shake their heads "no" and say, "no, this is not an EGGplant. Eggs don't grow on plants, they come from animals."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I thought I was literally going to roll on the floor and laugh.

We tried to explain that the name didn't mean that it was actually an 'egg', but that it is just somewhat (and not really at all in the picture we have) shaped like an egg.

They kinda look at us like we are a little 'out there' and go on to the next fruit.

So now, we know 3 different names for an eggplant!

Then as we are going through these fruits and vegetables, I ask them if they have ever heard of an avocado.

They had not.

I spent quite a while trying to explain what it is and emphatically disagree with them when they decide what I mean is a guava!

I explain how it is used in dips and it makes guacamole. Well, guacamole was another word that couldn't go without quite a bit of explanation!

Then, the next day I was in the store. This store has a huge (for here huge) produce section and lots of variety, at least for things that are in season. So I ask if they have an avocado.

THEY DO!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe I could get that HERE!

So I did. I bought two.

I raced home, with only a little bit of time before our language class was supposed to begin for that day and look up how to make guacamole.

I was so disappointed when all the recipes required sour cream. We can't get sour cream here! I can probably make it myself, but I haven't had the time for that YET.

Then I remember about a website that another international friend told me about that you can search for a recipe that you want but you can also set up the search so that it doesn't include recipes with certain ingredients.

So I go to www.allrecipes.com and type in guacamole and then set it up so that it leaves out all recipes that need sour cream.

3 recipes come up! AND I have what I need in the kitchen ... (that was another huge shock to me ... ha)

So I quickly get it together and get the guacamole made!

Our language teachers come and we go through the first part of our language study.

Then half way through, I always serve tea (an absolute MUST here!!!) and I serve the guacamole.

They loved it!

I was actually able to share something with them.

It felt so good.

Everyone is helping me and teaching me so much that it was so great to be able to expose other people to something new to them, but familiar to me and help them learn something new.

Wow, all because of an avocado. It's amazing how such a simple thing can certainly brighten a day.

So, please, go and eat some guacamole!