P'alante!

As most of us are well aware, gas prices are going through the roof, and food prices are going nowhere but up. The economy is in a terrible funk. As the "Island of Enchantment" imports most of its food, and is quite susceptible to the U.S economy's upturns and downturns, things are not looking too rosy these days. Consumer and business confidence is at an all time low.

I was chatting with the bank teller the other day about the significant rise in the cost of living. She jokingly told me that it was a good time to go on a diet now, as everything is so expensive. Then, she blurted out... "Bueno, hay que seguir p'alante!" (Translation: well, we just have to keep going forward)

"P'alante" (pronounced as "pa-lante") literally means to go forward. I like using this word because of its positivity. If I'm not mistaken, as I'm not sure if it's spoken in other Latin American countries, it's mostly used in Puerto Rico. In "official" Spanish, it would be "para adelante." In English, I suppose, "chin's up" is the closest expression to it. Puerto Ricans love to say "p'alante" when a difficult situation arises. I would say this is a reflection of their positive attitude towards life.

If you're going through a rough patch in life right now, just think of the word... "p'alante!"

(Note: the photo above was obtained from www.boston.com)