Written June 3, 2026

A couple of Sunday’s ago Maria and some of her friends were grabbing a drink in one of their backyards. I tagged along and found myself sipping Tinto Verano (Summer Wine which is Fanta mixed with red wine) with three 40 something year old Spanish ladies. A little way into the gathering one of them who had pretty good English leaned in and said to me “Do you know what my favourite English word is?” I shook my head and she told me it was Saliva (Pronounced: Saliba. Spanish people say the “v” like a “b.”). She then explained to me that she also loved the word Vagina (pronounced: Bagina). She then started saying “Saliba in the Bagina.” The other two found this amusing and then started saying it as well and they spent the whole night repeating Saliba in the Bagina over and over.

One night I was at a bar with a couple of the teaches at the school. Shortly into the evening three of them all ganged up and started chirping one of the teachers. The teacher had a small cast on his thumb and one teacher began telling me that he had injured his thumb after sticking it up his ass. He elaborated further and explained that his thumb was in a weird place in his butt and this caused an awkward movement that caused the injury. One of the English teachers then jumped in worried that I wasn’t understanding. She explained “his thumb, cracked in his ass, you understand cracked right Keaton?” Ahhh yes of course. The teachers kept this joking up for the next 20 minutes and kept giving me more details like for example that he likes a very romantic environment when he sticks his finger up his ass and that he enjoys licking his thumb before he puts it up his butt.

Why have I told you these stories? Because one of the biggest differences between the Spanish and Canadians is the sense of humour and to some Canadians the Spanish sense of humour might seem a little juvenile. But not to this Canadian to me there is nothing funnier than a group of Spanish ladies incessantly saying Saliba in the Bagina.