Text:
“Chivo”
Translation:
Cool
(Direct translation: Billy goat)
Context:
The informant heard this word often from their dad. In Salvadoran, it means cool and awesome. The informant states they use it when someone does a cool skateboard trick. “Chevere” is a word branched off from it, meaning good, interesting, or enjoyable.
Analysis:
It is interesting how the direct translation is “billy goat”, which relates to the modern day slang “goated,” also used to describe a cool action.
Text:
“Mas perdido que una cabra en un garaje.”
Translation:
More lost than a goat in the garage.
Context:
The informant heard it a lot growing up, usually in the context of whenever they or their siblings did something stupid. It can both be used in physically lost in a space or described a ridiculous action.
Analysis:
It is a clear simile from literal textual meaning, but also a fun and lighthearted way to tease someone because of the ridiculousness nature of this phrase. The mention of goats might seem random, but through some research, I learned that goats are important livestock in El Salvador. Perhaps there are more situations of goats ending up in a garage than we think there could be.
Material:
One apple with the stem on top
Procedure:
Context:
The informant played this game a lot during elementary school. They will get apples at the end of a school day, but no one wants to eat them, thus, they play this game with the apples.
Analysis:
Fortune-telling for future partners is a very popular game among children. This game specifically is very easy to set up and start, it is a form of ritual. The result of this game always brings more rumors among children and further spreads the ritual itself. It allows interactions between friends while also satisfying the human nature of wanting to gossip.
Story: “In this organization that I’m in, Troy Camp, we have this saying: TC Love. It’s something we use to appreciate each other and the work that we do. In Troy Camp, we do mentorship programs for kids from elementary school to seniors in high school. I love the work that I do in this organization, and I adore the people and kids that I get to work with. So, to show appreciation for these people, we love giving each other shoutouts, and we like to say that TC Love is different than any other kind of love. Just the other day, another member of Troy Camp shared with me her cousin’s embroidery business so that I could get my name embroidered on one of my Troy Camp quarterzips .. so at our next meeting, I made sure to share the TC Love with her by giving her a shoutout! Typically we say, “TC Love to …” and then the person’s name, and then why we are giving them TC Love. Out of all the traditions in this org, this one is my favorite.
Analysis: After speaking with this informant, I could tell that this organization and this tradition means the absolute world to them. Community builds community, and I could tell that this person and this organization fosters such a great community for both the people and the kids in it. Love is such a strong word, and it’s beautiful how different cultures and communities can take that word and adapt it to make it mean something entirely new, but just as special–I could tell this is something that took place for Troy Camp. After our conversation, this informant shared TC Love with me, and just from that, I could feel the weight that the phrase carries.
Story: “This is one of my absolute favorite things that I used to do in my sorority with my sisters at Auburn University. Every chapter meeting, we would start with a High, Low, Sunshine! It’s kind of like “Rose, Bud Thorn,” except it’s exactly like “Rose, Bud, Thorn” but the “thorn” is in the middle, because we do NOT believe that you should end your happy stories with something bad! But so, typically we do a High, Low, Sunshine for our entire week. Someone will give their high of the week, then their low of the week, and finally– the sunshine is something your looking forward to in the upcoming week! I love doing this tradition so much with my sisters, that I’ve even brought this into spaces at work and with my friends. Now everytime we get together, we always do a High, Low, Sunshine!”
Analysis: This is a beautiful tradition in my opinion. It’s so fascinating how certain traditions can start in one place and then grow exponentially as they catch steam and more people learn to love it. It’s really cool to think about how all of these sorority sisters (who now live across the world) have shared their highs, their lows, and their sunshines with people from all walks of life. This is the kind of cultural folk speech that stretches across many other different cultures–its universal. I even started doing High, Low, Sunshines with my friends and families. It’s beautiful to hear about peoples’ weeks, and I could tell that this informant really loves this tradition. They loved talking about it, and we even ended our conversation by doing a High, Low, Sunshine.