The first time I lived in Panama I spoke almost no Spanish. Not only did I not speak Spanish, but I definitely did not read or write Spanish. This caused some very strange misunderstandings on my part. For example, one of the few Spanish words I did know was Perro. Perro means Dog as most people know. What I did not know that Pero with one R means But. They actually sound almost the same to any untrained ear with Perro, meaning dog, having more of a rolling R sound. Me being very curious and eager to learn would listen to Spanish conversations where ever I was and try to figure out what was being discussed. As in English, people in Spanish say 'But' a lot. 'But this, but that, but everything'. I was convinced that Panamanians were obsessed with dogs! Everybody constantly talked about dogs everywhere I went. 'Dogs this and dogs that and dogs everything'. This lasted about a week until I was trying to say 'But' and asked somebody how to say it in Spanish. Ohhhh, right, Pero. That made sense.
So after a while I started learning more little snippets of Spanish that I would need in day to day life. One of the words I needed to say was 'Now'. I was told correctly that the word I was looking for was 'Ahora'. I really am very curious and eager to learn but I am also very lazy. I never learned how to spell any of this Spanish I was learning. One day a "supermarket" opened in the quaint town of Bocas Del Toro where I was living. It was a very exciting event and I went to go see what new goodies I might be able to purchase. When I got there I was amazed to see the giant sign stating the name of this new super market, Epicentro De Ahorra. I could not believe it! A store called The Epicenter Of Now. Panama and particularly Bocas Del Toro is fairly old fashioned and slightly conservative when it comes to imagination and marketing. The fact that any large super market here in backwater Bocas Del Toro, or anywhere for that matter, would call it self The Epicenter Of Now, was mind blowing for me. That was the coolest name for a store I had ever heard. It was so psychedelic and zen, and yet really worked as an advertising slogan. It was not until I had come back to the states and I was reading an advertisement that was in English and Spanish, that I realized that Ahorra with two Rs means 'Savings'. So the store was called the Epicenter Of Savings. I was a little disappointed but at least now I could use Epicentro De Ahora, The Epicenter Of Now, for any future endeavors without having ripped it off from a Panamanian super market chain.
So after a while I started learning more little snippets of Spanish that I would need in day to day life. One of the words I needed to say was 'Now'. I was told correctly that the word I was looking for was 'Ahora'. I really am very curious and eager to learn but I am also very lazy. I never learned how to spell any of this Spanish I was learning. One day a "supermarket" opened in the quaint town of Bocas Del Toro where I was living. It was a very exciting event and I went to go see what new goodies I might be able to purchase. When I got there I was amazed to see the giant sign stating the name of this new super market, Epicentro De Ahorra. I could not believe it! A store called The Epicenter Of Now. Panama and particularly Bocas Del Toro is fairly old fashioned and slightly conservative when it comes to imagination and marketing. The fact that any large super market here in backwater Bocas Del Toro, or anywhere for that matter, would call it self The Epicenter Of Now, was mind blowing for me. That was the coolest name for a store I had ever heard. It was so psychedelic and zen, and yet really worked as an advertising slogan. It was not until I had come back to the states and I was reading an advertisement that was in English and Spanish, that I realized that Ahorra with two Rs means 'Savings'. So the store was called the Epicenter Of Savings. I was a little disappointed but at least now I could use Epicentro De Ahora, The Epicenter Of Now, for any future endeavors without having ripped it off from a Panamanian super market chain.
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