Guapa

Months ago, Keegen emailed me, asking me what were typical things that you heard on the streets, from friends, strangers that were cultural, that you couldn't use anywhere else, that belonged to the people that made up the place I live in. And today, as I was out on my daily jog that question resurfaced as I trotted down the straight and wide Diagonal (a version of Market street in San Francisco, but nicer).

I was enjoying the cool breeze that insisted on slapping me on the face, observing blurry visions of people heading home from a long day of work, children holding hands with grandparents, and the buildings old and new golden in the setting sun. As I passed a striking older man, I saw his eyes open wide and his lips make way for the eternal word that belongs to Spain, "Guapa". Everyone uses it, excessively, friends to friends, a man to a woman, the baker to the shopper, the fish seller to the grandmother, the merchant to the child, every female in Spain has been a Guapa at least once in their lives and to boost your self-esteem, you can be a Guapa two, three, four times a day. If you're really a Guapa you will be honored with Guapisima, guapetona, Guapis and hundreds of other versions. You almost begin to take it for granted, until you are having a bad day and someone smiles at you and says, "Adeu Guapa" and suddenly you are floating. The best of it is that they mean it. You're probably wondering what guapa means if you haven't figured it out: Good-looking. As simple as that. But with a bite, with an essence that no English word can translate it to. And so to all my Guapos and Guapas...Your are my Guapetones.
other daily spanish phrases/words:
"Me da igual"...one of my personal favorites that means "whatever" or "I could care less"
"No me apetece"...Amadis brought this up to me, this could very well be the only country who has this phrase which literally means It doesn't 'appetize' me...I know, what does that mean? My point exactly, it's what you say when you don't feel like doing something
"Vale" y "Venga"...Vale is used for EVERYTHING! It's simply an agreement that ends up annoying you, but you end up using it just as much, while venga, I still haven't understood venga. It literally means come but you also use it when you finalize an agreement...like a date...hmm.