at the feria, great with child

With seven weeks to go I wanted to go to the Saturday Feria at least one last time. We took the bus there and back instead of walking, to help me make it through. We were there for 5 hours. I found receiving blankets and a sweatshirt for Elsie right away. Later I found a nice white baby blanket and Leon found a much needed 3rd backpack and a bottle of wine for the upcoming birth day. In one of my stumbling Spanish conversations I accidentally told somebody that the baby was coming in two tables 'mesas' (I meant months 'meses').
Leon noticed at one point that something was wrong with me. "What's wrong?" He asked. I answered looking around somewhat desperately, "Going down that next road will wear me out too much, if only I could sit down somewhere".
We spotted some tables and chairs under a tent where two women were stirring a giant steaming pot of clams, mussels, oysters etc. Leon said, "you can sit there if you let me buy you something to eat". I agreed. Leon and the boys went on down the road and I waited next to 2 very happy drunk men. The waitress brought me a heaping bowl of shells. I was afraid to eat it. Hundreds of Chileans were milling around as this resting spot was at the crossroads of 4 bustling streets full of vendors without an inch between them. I knew that I had to eat these things like I loved it or be offending them. I glanced at those around me to figure out the acceptable way to do it. I've never ingested so much sand in my life. By the time Leon returned, I had a little bag full of empty shells and the whole time those two men had been talking to me. We were such good friends by then that they offered Leon a drink from their cardboard box of wine. I didn't understand anything that they were saying so I just smiled and laughed. I did understand when they said that I was, "bonita". I thought they were alright after that.
Later on I found a tall curb to sit on and sent Leon and the boys on without me. Of course the closest vendor brought me a chair and two oranges and they stood up the whole time until Leon came back. They wouldn't accept no for an answer. I love these people. Before we return to North America we want to not only know their language but their ways of treating people.

We got some great deals in produce because the tables were tearing down for the day. We would say no and then they would offer it for cheaper and we would say, "Si, cuatro kilos por favor".

I laughed when I wondered what my mom would think if she knew that we bought giant sausage links unwrapped, laying on newspapers on the dirt from a man on a motorcycle who didn't speak English. They were delicious.