Hee hee.
As you well know, I'm a pasty, translucent shade of white with the appropriate upper Midwestern accent. That's probably why the two people standing next to me in the library vestibule don't think I know what they're talking about as they babble on in Spanish. A (translated) sampling:- "Let's speak Spanish to keep our conversation private from the fat ugly one in the corner."
- "You are a better man than my husband."
- "Come back to my house with me."
And many more delightful little things. I plan to say "adios" to them as they leave. Oh, oh! They're going now! [wait for it...]
They look SO embarrassed! That was great!
Anyway, in other news, I finally graduated! We had a nice little party. Guy Friday is going back to school here in the fall, and either next year or the year after they're going to start a master's program here in a field I really enjoy, so I'm just waiting around to go to that. Maybe I'll use it to get to a PhD program, maybe I'll just settle down and start having babies. Who knows? I've always wanted more children than I'd really be able to handle if I had an academic career, so there are a few things to work out still.
Meanwhile, working on planning the wedding (we're thinking July 4, 2009 so far), looking for a job and a new place to live, and learning Japanese. I'm doing okay for the amount of time I spend studying--I can write simple things (though right now I still kind of rely on my charts to help me remember the kana), I can pronounce the words I see (if I either know the kanji or it's kanji-free), and I can catch words in conversation (as revealed through multiple watchings of Ninja Warrior and Unbeatable Banzuke on G4 and through listening in on conversations around campus whenever I can). Grammar, however, is bringing me down. It might be neat to try to get one of those spots to teach English in Japan if I can learn enough Japanese to get around there.
posted by Psychobunny at
4:15 PM
2 comment(s):
Congratulations on graduation and the wedding planning! You sound happy, which is very lovely, and I hope that all continues. I thought Japan was amazing, though I giggled myself into fits while trying to get my mouth to form some of those sounds.
By
post-doc, at
May 11, 2008 8:01 AM
Hah - great story. We have a lot of people from Spanish speaking countries in my dept, and they love to carry on "secret" conversations when us gringos are sitting in the same room. I don't really mind that, but sometimes when I'm talking to them in a group they will launch into Spanish even though they know I don't speak it. It's very irritating... so in retaliation I don't let on that I know enough Spanish to spy on about half of what they are saying. (I can read and speak in Spanish, but I have a hard time following native speakers when it's fast... so I just pretend I don't know it at all.)
Anyway, it's amazing how many people assume that no white people speak Spanish. Especially when men shout lewd things to women in Spanish (or maybe they think we do understand which would be worse!)
By
Di Di, at
May 12, 2008 9:57 PM
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