Working in different languages:
Working in Spanish has been a great way for me to learn. Unfortunately, you must take the good in with the bad. The good: my Spanish is getting better. Sometimes I am even more comfortable in Spanish that English, which brings me to the bad. The bad: my English is getting worse. I constantly depend on spell check because I will look at the words and be convinced that they are correct. The words are correct if I were writing a different language. Below are a handful of the words I have misspelled:
-International (I spelled it internacional)
-Emphasis (I spelled it enfasis)
-Photos (I spelled it fotos)
-the radio (la radio)
-Carrots (I spelled it zanahorias) If anyone makes fun of me for that one I am going to kick them.
Next are my troubles with commands. I am constantly underlining things (Ctrl S) instead of saving things. This is especially annoying at times they decide to randomly turn off the power. But again, now I am forgetting how to do these commands in English.
Ctrl G = guarder (to save)
Ctrl S = subrayado (to underline)
Ctrl N = negro (literally to blacken….but it actually means bold)
Ctrl K = cursiva (to italisize)
This one trips me up a lot because the word cursive does not even begin with a K.
The commands I used back in Canada often do something trippy to my document, or they open up a new window or pop-up box. I will learn eventually; but I kid you not, every command you would use in English will do something. There are 26 letters on both English and Spanish keyboards, and no one had the tact to share the commands with other letters. Effers.
I also have problems finding different forms of punctuation. I remember when I was in Bolivia, I would have to get on msn and ask someone to send me the opposite of the backslash, because I needed it to login to an email account and I did not know what to press on the computer. There was a key that had the image of the opposite of a backslash (which I cannot show you because I do not know how to find it on this computer either) but I did not know what to press to make the punctuation show up on the page.
Another element of working/living in a different language is that no matter what you do, people think you are stupid. It is almost as if they think that education does not exist in English or that 2 plus 2 does not translate. I have had people tell me that gasoline is almost surprising…especially after I tell them that I studied Environmental Science and Geology. HELLO! I repeat: I studied Environmental Science (why petroleum is bad for the earth) and Geology (where petroleum comes from). One might just think that I could carry an intelligent conversation about petroleum. I also come from the country which is the biggest polluter in the world per capita…I might just have an opinion. With all of that said, I still get the same line: “Petroleo es malo.” I do not feel particularly enlightened after someone says that to me.
Working in your first language
Today I had an interesting experience translating something Spanish into English. This experience was a combination of having the difficulties of working in two language AND having people think you are stupid.
To keep it short, I basically had an argument with someone who is a native Spanish speaker (and NOT bilingual in English). He was trying to convince me that something I had written was grammatically incorrect. I spent about half an hour explaining to him why I was right and he was wrong, and never once did I use the excuse “I don´t know, it just sounds right”—which we all know is a cop-out. He was still not convinced.
The conversation ended when he told me that “you can’t do that in castellano (Spanish).” I told him “Well, it is a different language.”
But in my head I thought “Well DUH! It’s a different language.”
Friday, September 26, 2008
white food: part 2
There is more white food. When you think they can no longer sneak it in your meal…it is there.
Let us recap what is NOT white: the salad and the meat. Today I was fortunate to have these parts of my meal whitened.
Usually my salad does not have a dressing, but today it did. After thinking long and hard I think that I figured out all of the ingredients in my salad dressing. It was only mayonnaise. My peas and corn were covered in mayonnaise.
Next the meat. The meat was served “apanado” which means covered in pan, which means covered in bread. My protein was covered in white carbohydrates. And then fried.
To top it off…they laugh at what I eat. They said that they ever had a meal with me they would have to bring pills to calm their stomachs. This is where I would probably tell them to suck it up because I ate:
-Soup with pasta and potatoes
-Main dish of rice, potatoes, peas and corn with mayonnaise, breaded and fried meat
-watered down orange juice with lots of sugar
And I am fine. If you ask me, there are a couple people who could use some cultural sensitivity training.
Let us recap what is NOT white: the salad and the meat. Today I was fortunate to have these parts of my meal whitened.
Usually my salad does not have a dressing, but today it did. After thinking long and hard I think that I figured out all of the ingredients in my salad dressing. It was only mayonnaise. My peas and corn were covered in mayonnaise.
Next the meat. The meat was served “apanado” which means covered in pan, which means covered in bread. My protein was covered in white carbohydrates. And then fried.
To top it off…they laugh at what I eat. They said that they ever had a meal with me they would have to bring pills to calm their stomachs. This is where I would probably tell them to suck it up because I ate:
-Soup with pasta and potatoes
-Main dish of rice, potatoes, peas and corn with mayonnaise, breaded and fried meat
-watered down orange juice with lots of sugar
And I am fine. If you ask me, there are a couple people who could use some cultural sensitivity training.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
maryam´s condor count: 5
That is over 10% of the condors in
Love affairs in the work place can be a bad idea, but that is not even the reason I avoided hitting on the other intern. I avoided it because I wasn’t interested in him.
He is a cool guy and we share a lot of interests. That is why I didn’t hesitate to say yes when he invited me to go hiking along the crater of Cuicocha. Things were going really well: good company, good conversation, good hike, good weather, and great scenery. I started getting antsy, however, when we stopped to look at the view and he told me he really liked my company. I told him I liked his company too, mostly out of politeness—not because I don’t actually like his company, but because I never would have thought to tell him explicitly. He followed this up by saying “mucho” with a lot more conviction than I would typically prefer. I responded with a very awkward “thanks” and I turned the other way. I felt really awkward and decided to look the other direction hoping that something would help break the silence. After a few minutes of silence and playing with any piece of vegetation I could find, my wish had been granted and meters away from us flew a Black-Chested Buzzard-Eagle (guarro is the local name…or águila pechinegra). “Mira un guarro,” he said. Yay! A guarro. That is exactly what I needed to break the silence (while it may not seem that way to the average person, I will remind everyone that we are both interns at a rescue centre for birds of prey…and there is a Black-Chested Buzzard Eagle at the park).
I thought I was saved…and then came the worst part: the poem. Oh the poem…
“Can I read you a poem?” he asks, and I, thinking that he is just going to read any random poem out of the book, say “sure.” MARYAM YOU SHOULD ALWAYS THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK! The correct answer is “No, I would like to enjoy the scenery in silence.” As soon as I said “sure” (the silly four-letter word still haunts me) I realized that he wasn’t going to read any odd poem in the book. The situation just seemed so contrived: We were near the end of our hike, looking at beautiful scenery, and next… “Can I read you a poem?”
COME ON! Why do Latinos have to be such romantics.
Before he began to read he said “I hope you understand it.” I definitely understood the part that went like this:
Every time you walk into the room
And I know that I am not with you
It is like a blow to the head…
This was definitely a barf moment! BARF BARF BARF! And if I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I was wrong. “That was nice,” I said awkwardly (you would think I didn’t know any other state of being) as I looked the other way…again! Eye contact…I had to avoid all eye contact. Eye contact is the look of love. A look I am not prepared to be gracing other unsuspecting interns with…wait a minute…I was the unsuspecting intern. I was the prey. I felt really uncomfortable. I was in the midst of silence again. I needed something to break the silence…again. My wishes of silence-breaking were already granted. I did not believe that there was any possibility of them being granted again. Miraculously, they were. This time by an Andean Condor flying no more than
I love birds of prey.
I believed that his was my saving grace. A condor had been sent from mother earth to save me from my awkward situation. It had been sent to tell me not to worry; to tell me that someone was looking out for me…or so I thought.
The condor created as much excitement in my friend as it did me: “Omigosh (the Spanish version), a condor! I come here all the time and I never see a condor. I am so lucky! You brought so much luck! You are so lucky. How lucky I am to be here with you…” and he went on as I continued to gawk at the condor and amaze myself at how close it was flying to us.
Then came the worst part.
He scooted over towards me and said “hold me.”
HOLD ME? Who says that? And it was such a desperate “Hold me.” Why so desperate? Why so awkward? Why are you touching me? WHY ARE YOU SO UNNECESSARILY HUGGING ME?
I was frantic. I didn’t want to hold anyone. “Get out your camera! Take a foto! Take a video.” I insisted. He loosened his grip and started taking a video of the condor. I calmed down as he let go of me.
I invite you all to check out the video of the condor on facebook.
End of story.
Condor count: 5
Weeks in
Time (in seconds) I have to wait before I cringe from a love poem and “hold me”: 5
…please excuse me.
Friday, September 12, 2008
white food. it is white.
I have gotten very into “comida típica” in Ecuador. Comida típica, or typical food, is advertised anywhere that isn´t full of gringos as well as places that are full of gringos—which poses the question, “where is it not advertised?” (Or as an Ecudorean would ask ¿Where is it not advertised?) The answer is nowhere. I know what you are now thinking….a double negative and a pointless paragraph. Well if you made it this far, you might as well keep going. J
Typical Ecuadorean food for me is a typical Ecuadorean lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Ecuador (like in Iran…it is pretty much in my blood to love big lunches). It often consists of a soup, a main dish, desert, and juice (sopa, entrada, postre, y jugo…pretty unnecessary to translate, but I am still getting used to typing in english again).
Sopa
OMG. The soup is awesome. I love soup. There are so many different kinds of soup, but surprisingly (not so surprisingly) potatoes will always find their way into the dish. Unfortunately, lately I have been having a lot of warm…NOT HOT…but warm soups. It is especially bothersome when it is actually pretty cold outside (at my current placement we often eat lunch outside).
Entrada
At my other placement I have been eating a lot of vegetarian food. Vegetarian food is by no means típica. An entrada típica includes a little piece of meat (for you Canadians it is probably the proper size of meat as recommended in the Canadian Food Guide J), about 50-60% white rice, potatoes, and some salad. The salad component of the dish has between 1 and 3 different kinds of veggies and no dressing. The overall breakdown of your plate is most commonly 10% meat (protein), 10 vegetables (vegetables), 25% potatoes (starchy carbs), and 55% rice (carbs). You may often get some ají or hot sauce to add some flavour to your dish. If you do not get that, your dish will definitely have the typical spice of a typical meal. In Canada we call it salt.
Postre
This often does not exist. The times I have gotten a postre it was either fruit, sometimes fresh but often canned, or ritz crackers with jam.
Jugo
MMMmm. The juice is awesome. It is always made with fresh fruit, water, and about as much white sugar as fruit. Yikes. Just add it to your plate of salt, potatoes, and rice.
Bon apetit….¡Provecho!
Typical Ecuadorean food for me is a typical Ecuadorean lunch. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Ecuador (like in Iran…it is pretty much in my blood to love big lunches). It often consists of a soup, a main dish, desert, and juice (sopa, entrada, postre, y jugo…pretty unnecessary to translate, but I am still getting used to typing in english again).
Sopa
OMG. The soup is awesome. I love soup. There are so many different kinds of soup, but surprisingly (not so surprisingly) potatoes will always find their way into the dish. Unfortunately, lately I have been having a lot of warm…NOT HOT…but warm soups. It is especially bothersome when it is actually pretty cold outside (at my current placement we often eat lunch outside).
Entrada
At my other placement I have been eating a lot of vegetarian food. Vegetarian food is by no means típica. An entrada típica includes a little piece of meat (for you Canadians it is probably the proper size of meat as recommended in the Canadian Food Guide J), about 50-60% white rice, potatoes, and some salad. The salad component of the dish has between 1 and 3 different kinds of veggies and no dressing. The overall breakdown of your plate is most commonly 10% meat (protein), 10 vegetables (vegetables), 25% potatoes (starchy carbs), and 55% rice (carbs). You may often get some ají or hot sauce to add some flavour to your dish. If you do not get that, your dish will definitely have the typical spice of a typical meal. In Canada we call it salt.
Postre
This often does not exist. The times I have gotten a postre it was either fruit, sometimes fresh but often canned, or ritz crackers with jam.
Jugo
MMMmm. The juice is awesome. It is always made with fresh fruit, water, and about as much white sugar as fruit. Yikes. Just add it to your plate of salt, potatoes, and rice.
Bon apetit….¡Provecho!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
new bestfriend!!
so i have a new best friend. My cabaña-mate. He lives in my cabaña with me and he is this 19 year old dude from France. He studies agro-engineering and has to do a 5 month placement. He is doing it in the cloud forest with me. He is a pretty wicked guy and is obsessed with african, carribean, and rastafarian culture. I have met some of his rastafarian friends in Quito and we spent the day playing soccer in the streets. It was super bacán (cool).
He has a very thick french accent when he speaks Spanish, and some of he twists some of his words around but i don´t have the heart to correct him. The best part about his speaking spanish is that he calls his girlfriend his enamorada, which translates directly into lover. Once i dared ask him about his novia (girlfriend) and he gave me a really strange look. I was not sure if he didn´t know the word for girlfriend or if he was truly insulted that i called his lover his girlfriend.
I guess in the english language people my age often use "lover" with a bit of tongue-and-cheek as if the person is a sexi love affair. "i spent the night with my lover," or "i have an italian lover." I find those kinds of phrases a lot more common than, "Yes, my lover is also an agro-engineer" or "My parents think my lover is a wonderful girl." The latter frases have a lot less tongue and a lot less cheek. It is as if you are labeling your relationship with someone as merely a love affair, which could be fun if it didn´t come with all the responsibilities of a parner.
I think i need to be more open to different uses of the english language. Lovers with commitment.
He has a very thick french accent when he speaks Spanish, and some of he twists some of his words around but i don´t have the heart to correct him. The best part about his speaking spanish is that he calls his girlfriend his enamorada, which translates directly into lover. Once i dared ask him about his novia (girlfriend) and he gave me a really strange look. I was not sure if he didn´t know the word for girlfriend or if he was truly insulted that i called his lover his girlfriend.
I guess in the english language people my age often use "lover" with a bit of tongue-and-cheek as if the person is a sexi love affair. "i spent the night with my lover," or "i have an italian lover." I find those kinds of phrases a lot more common than, "Yes, my lover is also an agro-engineer" or "My parents think my lover is a wonderful girl." The latter frases have a lot less tongue and a lot less cheek. It is as if you are labeling your relationship with someone as merely a love affair, which could be fun if it didn´t come with all the responsibilities of a parner.
I think i need to be more open to different uses of the english language. Lovers with commitment.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Obnoxious Backpacker Profile #5
The feature of this post is Mr. Cool, 41-year-old Californian who was married and in the army. Not that being divorced or being in the army is a bad thing...but this guy was quite a character.
Defining characteristics:
1. Honduran background originally, but very little trace of it in his behaviour. He wears a baseball cap, sunglasses, and shorts...a combination you would never see on a latin man. I am surprised he doesn´t have a hawaiin shirt. He has a very stereotypical US accent and is unnecessarily loud.
2. He says "fucking" as if it is an adjective that adds meaning to what he is describing. Such frases include: "It was a fucking friday, you know?" and "I´m gonna order another fucking cuba libre." If we are on the topic of profanity, I might as well clarify that the second statement was actually, "I´m gonna order another fucking cuba libre or some shit." He gave me a very dry look when I informed him that "some shit" wasn´t actually inluded on the happy hour menu.
3. You could tell that he had been in the army and was trying to be cool and ease his way into society (some would say that the best way to do that is NOT to go to South America and hang out with backpackers...but to each their own).
Funny story to which I received another dry look:
I was at a hookah bar with my friend Julie, this British dude, and Mr. Cool. We got onto the topic of weight because we were discussing how in the UK they often measure weight in stones (1 stone=14 pounds THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THE IMPERIAL SYSTEM IS RIDICULOUS!!). The Brit and Mr. Cool are about the same height, but the Brit is substantially less stones than Mr. Cool. To this Mr. Cool says, "Well, you are only 23." To this I say (in my deep sergeant voice) "YAH! So grow up and gain some weight SOOUULLL-DJERR!"
This is when i got the stern look.
Defining characteristics:
1. Honduran background originally, but very little trace of it in his behaviour. He wears a baseball cap, sunglasses, and shorts...a combination you would never see on a latin man. I am surprised he doesn´t have a hawaiin shirt. He has a very stereotypical US accent and is unnecessarily loud.
2. He says "fucking" as if it is an adjective that adds meaning to what he is describing. Such frases include: "It was a fucking friday, you know?" and "I´m gonna order another fucking cuba libre." If we are on the topic of profanity, I might as well clarify that the second statement was actually, "I´m gonna order another fucking cuba libre or some shit." He gave me a very dry look when I informed him that "some shit" wasn´t actually inluded on the happy hour menu.
3. You could tell that he had been in the army and was trying to be cool and ease his way into society (some would say that the best way to do that is NOT to go to South America and hang out with backpackers...but to each their own).
Funny story to which I received another dry look:
I was at a hookah bar with my friend Julie, this British dude, and Mr. Cool. We got onto the topic of weight because we were discussing how in the UK they often measure weight in stones (1 stone=14 pounds THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THE IMPERIAL SYSTEM IS RIDICULOUS!!). The Brit and Mr. Cool are about the same height, but the Brit is substantially less stones than Mr. Cool. To this Mr. Cool says, "Well, you are only 23." To this I say (in my deep sergeant voice) "YAH! So grow up and gain some weight SOOUULLL-DJERR!"
This is when i got the stern look.
creepy crawlies...and touching them
i am grossed out by things:
1. I thought I had a spur on my hat, so I decided to pull it off. The spur had wings. The winged spur was not a spur but a bug. I chucked the bug and said "AGH!"
I should have never looked at the spur
2. Boots in a forest are stored upside-down for a reason. I often wear the boots when I am helping build the cabaña. As a result, there is sometimes cement in the boots the next day. I put my foot in the boot and felt what I thought was cement at the toe. I turned the boot upside down (with a tilt) so that the ´cement´at the toe would fall out. Out came a frog. I stared at it in shock. It was either:
a) alive and also looking at me in shock. i think it was alive because 10 minutes later it was gone from the site at which it was staring at me.
b) dead and eaten by a bird.
3. I have never seen some of these kinds of bugs. One looked like a spider with 20 (at least) legs.
4. I am being eaten alive.
I also saw my first live, not-caged snake.
cool.
1. I thought I had a spur on my hat, so I decided to pull it off. The spur had wings. The winged spur was not a spur but a bug. I chucked the bug and said "AGH!"
I should have never looked at the spur
2. Boots in a forest are stored upside-down for a reason. I often wear the boots when I am helping build the cabaña. As a result, there is sometimes cement in the boots the next day. I put my foot in the boot and felt what I thought was cement at the toe. I turned the boot upside down (with a tilt) so that the ´cement´at the toe would fall out. Out came a frog. I stared at it in shock. It was either:
a) alive and also looking at me in shock. i think it was alive because 10 minutes later it was gone from the site at which it was staring at me.
b) dead and eaten by a bird.
3. I have never seen some of these kinds of bugs. One looked like a spider with 20 (at least) legs.
4. I am being eaten alive.
I also saw my first live, not-caged snake.
cool.
where i live (not a post of comedy)
This post is less about the comedy and more about where I am actually living. http://www.mindocloudforest.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=31 I live on the second floor of the cabaña in the photo found in this link. I have a bug net with many holes in it. I have sewed one up so far. I thought i would never use up that pink thread...who knew?
The guy with the binoculares is the caretaker. His name is Luis, he is 29 and super cool. He has a wife, Hermania, and a son, Daniel. Such a lovely family. Hermania cooks all the meals which are mostly vegetarian. Which I am so stoked about, except I could probably do with less carbs. I am wondering if I will always be mega stoked on yucca, rice, potatoes, and corn. Luis is awesome. Very animated and talkative. Hermania is super lovely, such a sweet heart. Daniel....he is 5. How can a 5 year old not be wicked? come on!
Anyways, it is pretty cool. This is my first placement: I work in a small community called Milpe which pretty much no one has heard of...but it is close to a town that some people have heard of. :) It is a bird sanctuary and I can bird watch anytime I want. I can go for a hike pretty much any day. It is pretty lovely. I ate fresh strawberries today. Soo delicious. There are also banana (or banano as they are called here) trees and coffee trees. Mega chevere (cool). I fall asleep to the sounds of owls and insects, and the occasional moth which zaps itself on a light. I wake up to either the sun, song birds, or a hummingbird which flies ferociously into my window. Once I heard a big ´thunk´on the window followed by a splat...i hope the hummingbird was okay. Sometimes they like to flutter really close to my head when I am reading. It is quite an art to stand still near the heavy flutter and sharp beak of a hummingbird.
There is also a French volunteer, who i have yet to meet; and a german girl who is working at the school nearby who may move in soon. They will be my new friens. other than that, there are a lot of birders who come in and out. All is good. Love
next post...insects!!
The guy with the binoculares is the caretaker. His name is Luis, he is 29 and super cool. He has a wife, Hermania, and a son, Daniel. Such a lovely family. Hermania cooks all the meals which are mostly vegetarian. Which I am so stoked about, except I could probably do with less carbs. I am wondering if I will always be mega stoked on yucca, rice, potatoes, and corn. Luis is awesome. Very animated and talkative. Hermania is super lovely, such a sweet heart. Daniel....he is 5. How can a 5 year old not be wicked? come on!
Anyways, it is pretty cool. This is my first placement: I work in a small community called Milpe which pretty much no one has heard of...but it is close to a town that some people have heard of. :) It is a bird sanctuary and I can bird watch anytime I want. I can go for a hike pretty much any day. It is pretty lovely. I ate fresh strawberries today. Soo delicious. There are also banana (or banano as they are called here) trees and coffee trees. Mega chevere (cool). I fall asleep to the sounds of owls and insects, and the occasional moth which zaps itself on a light. I wake up to either the sun, song birds, or a hummingbird which flies ferociously into my window. Once I heard a big ´thunk´on the window followed by a splat...i hope the hummingbird was okay. Sometimes they like to flutter really close to my head when I am reading. It is quite an art to stand still near the heavy flutter and sharp beak of a hummingbird.
There is also a French volunteer, who i have yet to meet; and a german girl who is working at the school nearby who may move in soon. They will be my new friens. other than that, there are a lot of birders who come in and out. All is good. Love
next post...insects!!
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