i realized yesterday, while in the midst of editing a leveled reading book that mentioned "skiers going zig-zag" and deciding that i'd need to be rewriting this little story because it was entirely culturally irrelevant (it also mentioned a rollercoaster...we don't rollercoast around here, we land dive...), that there are a number of things that i just do differently now.
naturally, i know.
but it really got me thinking about the way i talk now. so here's a little list of seven (why seven? who knows... because that is how many i could think of, i guess...) things i've picked up that i never did before, all because i moved to this little island country...
1. tell people where i am going. all the time. even people i do not know.
1a. ask people where they are going. all the time. even people i do not know.
(it is a bit like asking someone "how are you?" stateside, i promise, but it took some getting used to... "who's asking??!" if you will)
2. raise my eyebrows once in a skeezy-guy-sees-an-attractive-person-and-wants-to-let-that-person-know-he-thought-said-person-was-attractive way to signify a "yes" answer instead of nodding.
for example, my coworker, kaltutak, asks if i'm going to get some lap-lap from the mamas down the road for lunch and the only thing i have my body do in response is make my eyebrows jump up one time to let them know i certainly will be. i do not even have to look up from my work.
i love it.
3. say "uhn uh" (the sound americans make for "no") to answer affirmatively. so if you heard me answer a question like, "is your mom still alive?" (seriously, get asked this one all the time about all of my family members) and i say, "uhn uh" back, i'm telling the truth. she's still around, thank goodness.
4. use "from?" instead of "why?" when wanting more information on something. i realized this talking to fran the other day via skyperoonie. she was telling me something about something that happened and i wanted to know why. i said, "from?" and she said, "from where?". yeah. whoops.
5. make a "tsk tsk tsk" sound when something too bad happens. for example: when i told elvie (my co worker) that a cat had puked all over my front porch, she went "tsk tsk tsk" like one would to scold a child. or when i found out that the computers in our office needed new hard drives, i "tsk"ed away. like probably 10 times. because that was a big one.
6. say the word "yo" in multiple ways. wuuhhee. i should clarify by explaining that this is not the standard little-bit-dorky-from-the-90's "yooo" you are probably thinking of. instead, it is a stunted version...like, if you about to use said dorky "yooo", but someone starting choking you to prevent it from happening and because your air way was blocked you had to stop short:
"yuh"
like that.
when someone calls my name, instead of a "mmhmm?" or "yes?" or "what can i do for you?" (actually, i do not think i ever used that one...) i just throw out a "yuh?"
or if i am walking down the road and some stupid yungfala (young men) sing out (yell out to me), i shoot them a dirty look and a "yuh" because i do not want to give them the same friendly "good morning" or "halo!" that i reserve for basically everyone else who isn't skummy and making me feel like a piece of meat (WHOA rant, that came out of no where...sorry)
or if i am replying in the affirmative: "did you win that bet against matt that he was so sure he had in the bag?" would be answered with a modest, "yuh." (true story about the bet. maybe more on that later)
7. say "ta" instead of "thank you" AND "good bye". a mash-up, if you will. another one i absolutely love, that teeny "ta". you get out of the bus, hand the driver some vatu and say "ta"...you get off of the phone with someone at the main ministry office and say "ta". none of that exhausting, "thanks for your time, have a nice day, goodbye" smut. short and sweet and to the point. saves so much time. who says ni vans aren't efficient??
so there they are. other things i could add to this list if it were about personal hygiene and if i were a little more bold with my assimilation (i've had a hard time adding these three things to my repertoire of ni-van tendencies) are: picking my nose in public (picking a winner, if you will, doug), or clearing out my throat with a force that is downright startling (like heart attack inducing. or at least adrenaline raising), OR coughing and/or sneezing without covering my mouth (a personal favorite).
somethings to aspire to, if you will.
ta.
naturally, i know.
but it really got me thinking about the way i talk now. so here's a little list of seven (why seven? who knows... because that is how many i could think of, i guess...) things i've picked up that i never did before, all because i moved to this little island country...
1. tell people where i am going. all the time. even people i do not know.
1a. ask people where they are going. all the time. even people i do not know.
(it is a bit like asking someone "how are you?" stateside, i promise, but it took some getting used to... "who's asking??!" if you will)
2. raise my eyebrows once in a skeezy-guy-sees-an-attractive-person-and-wants-to-let-that-person-know-he-thought-said-person-was-attractive way to signify a "yes" answer instead of nodding.
for example, my coworker, kaltutak, asks if i'm going to get some lap-lap from the mamas down the road for lunch and the only thing i have my body do in response is make my eyebrows jump up one time to let them know i certainly will be. i do not even have to look up from my work.
i love it.
3. say "uhn uh" (the sound americans make for "no") to answer affirmatively. so if you heard me answer a question like, "is your mom still alive?" (seriously, get asked this one all the time about all of my family members) and i say, "uhn uh" back, i'm telling the truth. she's still around, thank goodness.
4. use "from?" instead of "why?" when wanting more information on something. i realized this talking to fran the other day via skyperoonie. she was telling me something about something that happened and i wanted to know why. i said, "from?" and she said, "from where?". yeah. whoops.
5. make a "tsk tsk tsk" sound when something too bad happens. for example: when i told elvie (my co worker) that a cat had puked all over my front porch, she went "tsk tsk tsk" like one would to scold a child. or when i found out that the computers in our office needed new hard drives, i "tsk"ed away. like probably 10 times. because that was a big one.
6. say the word "yo" in multiple ways. wuuhhee. i should clarify by explaining that this is not the standard little-bit-dorky-from-the-90's "yooo" you are probably thinking of. instead, it is a stunted version...like, if you about to use said dorky "yooo", but someone starting choking you to prevent it from happening and because your air way was blocked you had to stop short:
"yuh"
like that.
when someone calls my name, instead of a "mmhmm?" or "yes?" or "what can i do for you?" (actually, i do not think i ever used that one...) i just throw out a "yuh?"
or if i am walking down the road and some stupid yungfala (young men) sing out (yell out to me), i shoot them a dirty look and a "yuh" because i do not want to give them the same friendly "good morning" or "halo!" that i reserve for basically everyone else who isn't skummy and making me feel like a piece of meat (WHOA rant, that came out of no where...sorry)
or if i am replying in the affirmative: "did you win that bet against matt that he was so sure he had in the bag?" would be answered with a modest, "yuh." (true story about the bet. maybe more on that later)
7. say "ta" instead of "thank you" AND "good bye". a mash-up, if you will. another one i absolutely love, that teeny "ta". you get out of the bus, hand the driver some vatu and say "ta"...you get off of the phone with someone at the main ministry office and say "ta". none of that exhausting, "thanks for your time, have a nice day, goodbye" smut. short and sweet and to the point. saves so much time. who says ni vans aren't efficient??
so there they are. other things i could add to this list if it were about personal hygiene and if i were a little more bold with my assimilation (i've had a hard time adding these three things to my repertoire of ni-van tendencies) are: picking my nose in public (picking a winner, if you will, doug), or clearing out my throat with a force that is downright startling (like heart attack inducing. or at least adrenaline raising), OR coughing and/or sneezing without covering my mouth (a personal favorite).
somethings to aspire to, if you will.
ta.
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