Pablo Manda (written 6.13.08)

My BV group loves to play games, and one of their favorites is Pablo Manda, or the Dominican version of Simon Says. Apparently the news that I'm the ringleader for this game has spread across the community, because there are several little boys who live near the basketball court (where I often go in search of cell phone service) who address me as such each time I pass. I've never heard them speak any words other than "Pablo Manda", and I can't tell if it's meant to be my name, a command to play, or simply the only thing they can think to say to me, but it strikes me as funny when I hear a little voice say "Pablo Manda" and I look over to see a small Dominican boy, clothes disheveled if present at all, staring at me totally straight-faced and stating the Spanish equivalent of "Simon Says", with no apparent goal in mind. I'm sure you see the humor in this, or maybe things are just funnier in the campo.