Adorable French Boys

Yesterday I got home around 9:00 after finally getting the long awaited package with my sister’s contacts and new glasses. No one was home, so I did some homework, did my reading and bummed around until 9:45 when I started to get antsy. My Señora wasn’t home yet, but Arrayán was about to start and I was hungry. I knew we were supposed to get another group of French kids, so I figured she was out getting them and the bus was late again. Anyhow, the soup was in the kitchen all ready to be heated up and eaten, so I got myself a bowl and sat down to watch Arrayán by myself (pathetic, I know). About 15 minutes into the show, a whole troupe of French boys came filing into the living room with their suitcases with my Señora shooing them along while explaining to me that the bus was late with the three she was supposed to have, and then she had to go all the way to Palacio de Congresos to pick up two extra ones because some other lady miscalculated and these two had no place to go. Fortunately, my Señora has five extra beds, so could take in the poor leftover two.

I believe you all know my feelings on the French kids coming to stay (awkward dinners, competition for the bathroom etc.) but this group is, well, adorable! My Señora was trying to explain to them that there isn’t room for them all to stay in one room together, they have to split up. They are confused for a while, but eventually get it and the huddle ensues. Deciding who goes where takes a while, but the spokes-boy finally ushers two of the boys to the room in the hall and he and the remaining two stay in the room by the door. My poor Señora meanwhile is frantically re-heating the soup, making a tortilla, frying up the hotdogs and filling up the water pitcher. I am just about done with my soup and ready to go help get dinner for the French boys. However, while I’m still eating, the two littlest boys (supposedly 15 or 16, but look like they’re 12 – adorable!) come up to me, bend over, kiss my cheeks, say “hola” and then scurry away as quickly as possible. I was a little taken aback because I was literally spoon in hand on my way to my mouth when they snuck up behind me to kiss me. Obviously someone told them they’d better make sure to greet everyone with two kisses! Then, as I’m clearing my place, the whole group files by on their way to the kitchen to give their presents to my Señora. She is duly impressed and gratified and they come away quite pleased with themselves.

Dinner is eventually ready and the boys sit down to eat when the phone and doorbell ring simultaneously. My poor Señora is flustered trying to get both answered and still keep an eye on the second tortilla. So I take over briefly and get the boys to sit down and tell them they can start eating. I thought that they would be okay by themselves after that and went back to the kitchen to keep an eye on the tortilla. However, my Señora comes back inside after talking with her neighbor (something about a couple that might be coming to stay, not entirely sure) and horrors! They’ve started eating the tortilla first instead of the soup! Fortunately she noticed before it was too late! Phew, disaster averted.

After that close call, my Señora didn’t feel like it was safe to leave them to their own devices, so she alternated between hovering benevolently over the tiny boys and getting dinner for her and I ready. I ended up eating in my room, but I left the door open so I could keep an eye and ear on the action. After dinner was successfully finished, the boys went giggling (yes, giggling) to hall bedroom where hilarity ensued. Eventually my Señora needed to find out whether or not they wanted one or two bocadillos for lunch the next day. Simple enough question: uno o dos bocadillos? Unfortunately, the Spanish of the spokes-boy was not quite up to this level. My Señora was practically pulling her hair out by the end. This is roughly how it went:

Señora: ¿Qué queráis, uno o dos bocadillos?

Spokes-boy: Erm, erm, qué?

S: Bocadillo. ¿Uno o dos?

SB: erm, erm, oui…uh, sí!

S: No, no. Bocadillo, peekneek (picnic, I finally figured out), uno o dos?

SB: Peekneek?

S: Sí, peekneek (makes eating motions)

SB: erm, jamón

S: ¿Quieres uno con jamón? Vale. Pero uno o dos?

SB: Sí, jamón. Jamón.

S: Ahhh! Uno o dos!?! (She goes to the kitchen and brings out a loaf of bread)

SB: Erm, ¿jamón?

S: Sí, jamón. Mira chico (takes loaf and mimics cutting it in two), uno…o...dos?

SB: Erm, erm, ¿sí?

At this point my Señora gave up and made them all two. Yes, one with jamón. I was dying, it was so funny. They really do not speak (or understand) much at all. Right now for example, they’re eating paella and my Señora asked them if it was good and they said “qué tal” and proceeded to laugh uproariously. It’s the same anytime any one of them says anything in Spanish. My Señora just had to tell them to calm down because they were laughing so much and so loudly. Now one of them is shushing every few seconds amid the high pitched giggles. Ahhh, they are sooo entertaining! And since I don’t have to eat with them, I don’t mind at all. The bathroom competition is still an issue, but I think on the whole the entertainment value outweighs the trouble.

PS: I wrote this last night in Word since the internet wasn’t working. Sorry if you’re really confused about the timing of it all.