Funniest thing

This month’s winner is LOREN PARKS of Chico, California:

On the last day of a technical-assistance assignment in Asunción, Paraguay, I decided to purchase some T-shirts for my family. I knew from experience that every Latin American country has its own word for T-shirt, so in the morning I asked one of my Paraguayan colleagues for the word and committed it to memory. My Spanish is excellent, and I was confident that I would remember it.

Late in the afternoon, I walked to a shop where I had seen souvenir T-shirts on display. I was greeted by a saleswoman and told her I...

This month, the winners are DENZIL and JENNIE VERARDO of Elk Grove, California:

In October 2017, we went on an Adventures Abroad safari-tour to Tanzania to see the spectacular wildlife within its national parks. In our trip preparations, we had read an article in the Los Angeles Times on the Tinga Tinga folk art painting style developed in the late 20th century by the Tanzanian artist Edward Tingatinga. He is no longer alive, but his style is being emulated by young artists in East Africa. We felt that a piece by him would be a unique souvenir and a nice addition to our home.

This month’s winner is JOHN MAAS of Raleigh, North Carolina:

At the Iglesia de San Pedro de la Rúa in Estella, Navarra, Spain, there is a long set of stairs to climb up to its portal and cloister. However, 100 meters down the street, my wife, Aura, and I took the easier elevator to the entrance of the church’s beautiful cloister. We went inside.

I’m a faster sightseer (no dawdling), so I went ahead into the church, where almost immediately the caretaker asked me to leave because he was locking up for a couple of hours to go to lunch. 

My wife was...