The totems in the field were probably not totems as much as safety devices, or perhaps just found object sculpture. Last night, I saw the origin of the sticks in the ground, which was a makeshift soccer field. I suspect, though I will likely never test this theory, that soccer would be a great way to learn Spanish. A few missed passes, a couple of trips, and you'd get the basic framework for emotive terms. As your skill grows, so would your understanding of the language.
This reminds me of getting schooled by the Vietnamese refugees who would come out and play with us after practice, in their bare feet, as if they learned to play football as they were walking, not as some "activity." It also makes me think of the story Adam, my residential advisor, who played for the US Junior National team, tells of a trip to Jamaica, where they handily beat the Jamaican team only to be thumped by a group of village kids while they were touring the country.
