"We're Meeting a Queen?"

by Emily R. Wilhite

Build Magazine

Spring 2007

"Arena" was all I could understand. I was desperately trying to piece together words as I listened to Pedro, the priest, and Kaylin, another girl my age, talk to each other. Every time I asked, "Que vamos a hacer?" (What are we going to do?), either Kaylin or Pedro would answer in rapid-fire Spanish, "Something, something, something areana." Not wanting to seem ignorant or ask them to repeat themselves for the umpteenth time, I just nodded my head. I searched the rather limited Spanish-English dictionary in my head; the only translation I could manage was "a reina" which means "to the queen." 

I inferred that we were going to another island, and thinking it a little strange that we were going to see a queen, I assumed that on a small island of Costa Rica, maybe there would be some queens! I was in for a huge surprise. 

We traveled on a boat with what seemed like Kailin's entire extended family to what I thought was some destination related to local royalty. I was, of course, anxious to see what this queen would be like. My utter confusion was not aided by the talk going on around me between Kaylin's family and friends. I wanted to immerse myself in their conversation, but my lack of Spanish proficiency, even though I had studied Spanish for many years, hindered me greatly. So, instead, I made small talk about the islands and the bodies of water we passed. I was so grateful for how patient everybody was with my broken Spanish. 

When we arrived at the other island, it only took a matter of minutes for me to realize that there was no queen involved in our task. Kaylin and I watched people around us shovel sand into burlap sacks, and everyone, including the girls my age, hauled the sacs back onto the boat. Kaylin and I eventually started to help, but I couldn't even drag the sacks of dirt let alone lift them like everyone else! 

After a long day's work, I was completely covered in sand and sweat while my Costa Rican comrades looked cool and unperturbed. I was still pondering what the queen has to do with my trip. After I said goodbye, I was able to ask out translator, Julia, what "areana" meant. She laughed as I t9old my story, and she explained "arena," not "a reina," meant "sand." Other snatches of conversation came flooding through my mind. It made perfect sense. I was not on a wild, mystical trip to see some queen but a trip to dig sand for the community's new basketball court. 

When I first decided to take a trip to Costa Rica, I just wanted to learn to speak Spanish smoothly like the actor on Telemundo. However, after my trip to Costa Rica, my priorities and expectations changed drastically. 

After spending a day confused by one Spanish word, I realized that, although the language barrier frustrated me, I managed to get past it. I learned a valuable lesson about cultural differences that I will remember forever. I deeply enjoyed my experiences in Chira, Costa Rica, learning to love a group of people who live a life completely different from mine – not to mention I'll never forget what "arena" means.