I am participating in http://latinaish.com/’s Spanish Friday. Join us! An English translation is included in parenthesis.
Cuando estoy en Perú o en México, busco libros, música, juguetes, y juegos para usar en clase. Siempre regreso con una variedad de cosas que no se puede encontrar aquí en Estados Unidos, aprovechando el espacio en la maleta que de venida estuvo ocupado con regalitos para los que visito – mi hija, la familia de su novio, nuestros amigos si vamos a México.
[When I’m in Peru or Mexico, I look for books, music, toys, and games to use in class. I always come back with a variety of things that you can’t find in the United States, taking advantage of the space that I have from the presents that I took to whomever I’m visiting – my daughter, her boyfriend’s family, our friends if we’re going to Mexico.]Con mi hija es fácil saber qué llevarle porque le pregunto nada más. Quiere juguetes para el perro, líquido para los lentes de contacto – cosas prácticas que tienen en Lima, pero que son caras allí. Y como es mi hija, siempre le puedo encontrar algún detalle que le vaya a gustar.
[With my daugher it is easy to know what to take because I just ask her. She wants toys for the dog, contact solution – practical things that they have in Lima, but that are expensive there. And she is my daughter, so I can always find some little thing she will like.]Pero se me complica mucho el encontrar regalos para otras personas. Sé que es la intención que cuenta, pero me gustaría encontrar algo que les guste, algo que vayan a usar. Lo pienso más porque los regalos que nos dan de otros países siempre son tan bonitos, mucho más originales e interesantes de lo que se puede encontrar aquí (o de lo que he logrado encontrar en los más de veinte años que llevo haciendo esto). ¿Qué llevan Uds.? ¿Regalaron alguna vez un detalle que fue todo un éxito? Me interesan ideas para toda edad. ¡Les agradecería cualquier sugerencia!
[But finding presents for other people gets really complicated for me. I know that it is the thought that counts, but I would like to find something that they like, something that they will use. I think about it more because the gifts they give us from other countries are always so pretty and more original and interesting than what I can find here (or than what I have managed to find in the more than 20 years of doing this). What do you take? Have you ever given a gift that was a total success? I need ideas for all age groups. I would appreciate any suggestions!]
Tracy
Dec 9, 2011
When we went to El Salvador we brought items which were “fads” here with the kids – like silly bandz, (though that craze is kind of over.) … I also like bringing things which are very expensive there such as video games and brand name shoes. Food items are also fun to bring. Last time I gave away a jar of peanut butter and I brought a HUGE bag of American candy – the kids had a lot of fun trying the different kinds. Weird convenience items we take for granted are also appreciated. We gave one uncle a hat with a built in light and he thought it was fantastic. LOL. We also gave some older tías with glasses, those little repair kits for glasses that come with magnifying glass, little screws and screwdriver, etc. I’ve sent battery-operated candles before and they liked those, too. Oh – and we gave some relatives keychains which have double as a digital photo album, (you upload photos to it from the computer.)
A special gift to give after you leave — take plenty of photos of them and then when you come back home, create photos albums for them full of those photos that you can send.
The sad thing is that relatives usually like to be given cash more than anything else 🙁
admin
Dec 9, 2011
What great ideas! Believe it or not, my husband has one of those hat-lights (we live in the country where it is really dark) and he loves it. And the repair kit for glasses is ingenious! I do take peanut butter and American candy to my daughter, but different kinds would be fun for other people.
All of these are fabulous ideas and I really appreciate them. And the money…yes, we do that too, and that is okay with me. I can be overly practical that way. The photos afterward would be the perfect thing to add the connection I’m looking for.
¡Muchísimas gracias!