vaga #1/12 English "b"
Part XII
My English with time does not improve much but is no longer as bad as it was when I wrote “vaga #1/7 English a” with that pile of bricks white stacked and semi diffused, and now I have passed on to sound more like the mosaic, meaning bits glued to each other, the image looks the same but the content is transmitted however broken it is. I laugh at my English, and I'm still happy with my BROKEN ENGLISH
About my English: even though I have lived for 9 years in the US, and despite having given classes at the university, lectures and even more, I married a gringo… …and even so, I understand and speak like the image of a mosaic, my acoustic capacity is miserable. How miserable. My children corrected me since they were 3 years old, Mom… … it is not said like that … And to this day I go on to narrate how it is still the same subject and how it makes them uncomfortable that their mother speaks with such a bad accent, I am not bilingual like them and at 30 I started stumbling to learn how to speak English. When I told Rafa about my stroke and I did not remember the word "stroke" in Spanish and also everything about the hospital and the neurologist was in English and I spoke to him about the "Stroke", so when I called to tell Rafa that I had a STROKE, he quickly told me I pronounced it incorrectly the point is clear, his first reaction was to my pronunciation, not my stroke NOT? Although it touches me all my life here, I have to live my life here in English, without problems, I even dream in English and I read English books, yes, I have it under my skin, I don't even use Spanish, only when I write to Spanish-speaking friends, and here on the blog, but I also have friends who are English and I have already learned to use the translator, it helps me to write or say words that I forget " short-term memory " !!!! LOL !!! It will be my recurring joke. LOL !!!!
therefore today the mosaics accompany us.
I will start with Magda's story, I met her in Guatemala, she gave weaving demonstrations on backstrap looms, something that I was dying to learn. We connected at once, and it was because of the laughter. Laughter and even more laughter, this is for me the most valuable means of code. Here especially in these Asian countries with new ways of code, none of the previously known, clear, safe, recognisable ways of communicating. Often not much was understood, apart from the laughter, the facial expression, the will to want to understand each other and sometimes with no language in between. I could feel the communication mutually under the skin and that is what I have here. I go back to Magda, it was easy because of the language but what connected us was the laughter. A friendship was born from there and soon she invited me to her graduation which would be in 10 days. her diploma was in technical administration and then the day after I was to be invited to her birthday party to celebrate in her village. I was to come back the following day to pick up the ticket and the invitation card made by her for her 21st birthday. I was going to the south to meet my friend Soferosa, and when I returned after 10 days, I was not in a hurry at all and my time was available to whatever it is. I returned for her Graduation and her birthday party. What a subject that was. It was great to share with her family in a lost village in the Mayan highlands. The History will come later, but at the rate that I go with the blog, it will be brought forward. In an anecdote, I told her that I did not have formal clothes for her graduation ……. She didn't like my choices at all ……. I only have blue jeans… (it was cold, or else I could have put on a dress) ……after a while and thinking about it, she told me it was all, GOOD
On her birthday she found out that I spoke English, she literally threw herself around my neck and begged me to teach her… !!!…ME, TEACH ENGLISH !!! I'm sorry, how, but I saw her so excited about the possibility of learning. HUUMMMM I said to myself I can teach provided she does not realise that I have a strong accent, and on the other hand, I was so grateful for her invitations that it was something like thanking her in return. I understand why, I had already seen enough of Guatemala and its extraordinary crafts. They are all artisans and their things are very similar and by selling them the one who knows 10 words in English has a much better chance of selling them to a foreigner, and they make a living from that. She gave me reason and justification to teach her those 10 words and more. We agreed that we would start on Monday and I invited her to stay with me at the hostel since I had an extra bed. I know how she gets home, 3 full bus changes and two and a half hours, round trip every day. When did she find time to study? It was the logical thing to do, stay in my hostel…. When I told Gonz he laughed that he would not put an ethnic person in his room since the customs are so different, this was something that did not cross my mind …… …and yes, their different and shocking customs I have experienced them myself…… those details will come. We organised a study period at 6 am for an hour and a half and after work another hour and a half By the way, I hate getting up early… …… .but it was done… .it is for the greater good. I called Peter in Chile and I told him to find me an online program to teach English.
HIS LAUGHTER WAS HEARD ALL THE WAY IN GUATEMALA AND MINE FOLLOWED
!!!! MOM, YOU CAN'T BE SUCH AN ARSE FACE TO TEACH ENGLISH !!!
I have literally transcribed his words
Well, I downloaded Duolingo. The program is fantastic, and I started with Magda, a lot of laughter and chaos, but I am very strict and demanding at the same time. and the poor thing was exhausted, the truth is that in the past I should teach her Spanish, her writing and her speech, they leave much to be desired, she speaks her dialect, and they learn only Spanish later, she could not always go to school. I always ask for something in return, the classes are not charity, in Magda's case a bag made by her was payment enough. It gives value and commitment to what you receive. I am going to end this chapter with a video, my pride.
While I was in Vietnam I went to a town 3 hours away from Hanoi, Mai Chai because they are dedicated to textiles, and obviously, I went there, without reservation of anything because there was no such thing. A popular way of staying there is “homestay” I mean, one sleeps in the family's house. Here the houses were on stilts, and above a single room without doors, curtains, or anything, a single space and mattresses on the floor. The day is spent downstairs, there is the kitchen, dining room, some with armchairs and the bathroom shows that there has been education from the government, the bathrooms are decent, and they are accommodated in a small room below and to the side. I had already been to other houses in northern Vietnam and had a clear idea of where I was going, as far as accommodation was concerned, I moved a lot from village to village. I began to walk through the town, that is, two streets in that part, wonderful, under the stilts, almost all of them had looms where they work and sell their products …… for me, it was a pleasure to see that.
And so, I started walking aimlessly, with my backpack since I left the suitcase where I had been in Hanoi. It is too chunky to walk with it, and when I can get rid of it, great. Several houses had signs saying homestay, but I was not excited by any of them until I saw one that was adjacent to a rice field ... there I said to myself ... . but hang on… ... who will be your roommate… … ??? The lady saw me somewhat uncomfortable and because of my appearance, I was older, grey-haired and alone and that I was not the prototype that goes to the "homestay“ Most travellers are young. She showed me a cabin behind the house, and it had its own bathroom… IT'S MINE… IT'S MINE….I DID NOT ASK THE PRICE. I had a small balcony and saw the rice planting from 10 metes away, what a spectacle I had planned to stay for 3 days, but I stayed the week. I went out for walks in the afternoon and the couple in the house from the front gestured for me to come closer, and I did it because I don't have a problem with being with people ... HA HA HA. A married couple of about 45 years old, with a teenager, it was also a "homestay", and they invited me for tea, she was babbling a few words in English and I didn’t understand much. But still, the communication and sign languages are the same, and through gestures, smiles and willingness to want to understand, we managed to communicate. The truth is that I cause a lot of curiosity; older, alone ... and the other thing that is added to walking alone, makes them welcome you because if I was part of a couple, I would speak to my partner in our own language to each other, In front of the locals and that marginalizes and being alone, it only remains to understand each other as it is. The time was so enjoyable that they invited me that evening to have a "snack" and with wine… ..obviously, I accepted. But I confess with a little knot in my stomach, ... What a treat …… rice wine that I have already tried, and generally it is very strong a small glass, and it would be enough, I had brought some cheeses and took them at the indicated time, 8 o'clock.
I was in for the surprise of the year, French red wine, PLOP AND PLOP what a joy, a real treat, the knot in my stomach instantly went away, with peanuts and some indescribable things, but French wine…. WHAT A PLEASURE… … everything was communicated in less than basic English, but with lots of laughter and gestures, but above all laughter. And the inevitable question popped up, I have been asked it many times before...
"Where is your Husband?"
"Here is my husband"
a long silence, until I couldn't take it any more, and I burst into a tremendous laugh …… and they were finally able to laugh, the laugh they were holding back on out of respect. I took the photo of this Sumo wrestler from a magazine in Japan and I said to myself, this will give me more than one laugh and as such, not just laughter, but hysterical laughter. It was time to leave, and I was so grateful for the welcome that came out of nowhere, that I told them if there is something that can be of use to them, I am going to be there the whole week… .and we already had a joking way between us……… ", Yes, you would be of great support, tomorrow at 5 in the morning with the planting of rice (It is the sowing season of the rice) I was mute and did not answer by elaborating on the situation, and it was her time to laugh out loud …… …the joke was excellent, I totally got it. I told her that maybe with some English, she would receive tourists in her homestay, and her income depends on a large part of that and she had less than basic English….… And she repeated what Magda had done to my neck, yes, please, but what would I have? The classes must be at night since she comes from the sowing late and has to cook etc ... NO PROBLEM
Duolingo of course And here I go from surprise to surprise, the program translates into Vietnamese, being in Vietnam and I get it, for example, the word "woman" is in English. They give me 3 alternatives in Vietnamese, and she has to choose the correct one, I will help her. IMPOSSIBLE second surprise, she speaks the Tai dialect (the word Tai and Tai ethnic groups are plentiful in the area, but they are different) and it is difficult for her to speak Vietnamese and with her translator at all times. The other thing that I realised is that the word for example "the" could be said in 3 ways depending on where it is used, there are 3 alternatives to the same word. All very complex, and she was sweating trying to understand even the Vietnamese, but she did not let up, there was little I could do. And I comment about the Vietnamese language, which I met in Saigon, an Englishman who lived many years ago and was dedicated to teaching various subjects, He told me it's a language nightmare. With Magda's experience, I realised how I can help, was to teach them to use the program, it takes about 8 hours and there I leave it, I continued on my way, and it is theirs to keep going since they know how to use it. Anyway, before the complications, I went to possible dialogues with tourists, numbers and stuff.
and lastly so far because surely there will be more opportunities to teach YA YA YA. In Bali, with my guardian angel, Novi, when she found out I spoke French and threw herself around my neck again, they cannot imagine the need to learn languages. She is a receptionist in a good hotel with more mature clients (like me HA HA HA) and knowing French gave her work an advantage. Obviously, I said yes and now with the certainty of good pronunciation. We started with Duolingo and something incredible happened, in that, I downloaded it myself and managed to translate it into English. Me, skilled in Computer things?,…. ? PLOP…. never… … One would have thought that I was born with the pc under my pillow. From Kathmandu, we stayed in touch by WhatsApp for about 45 minutes almost every day. We corrected pronunciation, added vocabulary, numbers, colours etc ... and we practised how to attend to a possible French-speaking customer. She was a good student, I am so glad to give back to her, and she is so diligent, she has never failed me in the tasks that I give her. I like a lot of fun but I'm demanding in turn.
and I end up with a video that is not my thing because I am not a videographer, but it is my great pride