Your way hurts me the hand

The other day we were leaving our last Comunidad Biblica Universitaria meeting at two twenty, running to lunch, as usual, because we have class at three. Although, still being in Peru, I use "running" in the loosest possible sense of the word....as in Sunday stroll in the park.

One of the girls says: Wait, what time do they all have class?

Silvia answers: At three. And she makes a gesture with her hand.

Me: Hey! What gesture did you just make?

Is that how you make the gesture for three? With those three fingers?

Silvia: Like this, yeah. Why? How do you make it.

Me: Like this!
We try each other's signals.

Silvia: This makes my hand hurt right here.

Me: Now my hand hurts right here.

I patriotically defend the logic of the American signal, (Look, see how when you're going from two to three you only have to move one more finger. And with the other way you have to move 2!) but like so many things, when you really get down the the why of it all, it's really mostly I dunno, that's just the way we do it.

So how do you make the three hand signal, my international, multi-cultural readers?

If you understand the title, then you speak at least some Spanish. Yay for you!

The clumsy ballet of my mind

A million thoughts dancing around on my brain right now. Here's the one that does the best pirouettes: So. Much. Work. Must focus...can't focus....wish I was going out tonight!

Boo to Peruvians who make plans and change plans and leave me with no plans but homework on a Friday night!

This is the perpetrator:

Ha! All innocent looking. Don't believe it.

She may have had a good reason. But regardless, I'm gonna also blame her that I didn't get to go here, to the selva (jungle). Even though I might have been the one who was saving my traveling money all semester for our trip and then just kind of...didn't plan it in time.

Floating city in the Amazon. Doesn't it look awesome?

But I may forgive her when she comes to visit me in the states next winter! And we'll go here, a very different kind of city:

And I'll make sure she absolutely adores NYC and wants to move there and marry an United Statesian and see me regularly, not just on Skype.

Although that doesn't always work, cause even when I'm in the country/on the same campus I don't see this one:

Who I haven't talked to aaalll semester. I love her. And miss her.

Ooo! Another not-worth-my-time Boy Meets World episode on YouTube to procrastinate a little longer?

Yes please.

The dancing metaphor could use some work. But it's not gonna get it.

We're bad at this game

Kara and I were playing this little game the other day, reminding ourselves of the all good things about going home to the states from Lima:

"I'm looking forward to eating whenever and however much I want."

"I'm looking forward to not checking for deer poop every time I sit down!"

"I'm looking forward to to not checking for dog poop every time I walk anywhere!"

"I'm looking forward to a soft bed and lots of water pressure."

"I'm looking forward to a good rainstorm."

"I'm looking forward to the sun."

"I'm looking forward to not having rice with every meal."


But a lot of our "looking forward toos" started out that way and took a turn:

Kara: I'm looking forward to blending in again in the streets.

Me: Oh, yes! Me too. I'm looking forward to not being stared at by creepy old men for speaking English while we're walking. But oh, I am going to miss speaking in the streets while no one can understand us... like our own secret language.

Kara: Yeeahh... and I'm gonna miss buying snacks and gum in the street.

Me: I'm gonna miss just living in the city and being able to walk places! I'm going back home to the woods....

(Pause.)

Me: Hey, focus! We're talking about things we're looking forward to....

And there are things I'm looking forward too, don't get me wrong. The old college I love in a new year. The old world with new eyes.

One more semester, and then out into the big bad world! Or ya know, possibly back to my parent's house. How's the job market looking?

Hey! I see you. Don't even think about it.

K: Oh! I'm looking forward to free water in restaurants!

Me: Yes! Good one!

Reasons to stay

Tonight I feel once again like I cannot leave. Not this place. Not these people.

Not the little kids who dance without embarrassment in the middle of a group of cheering adults.

Not the way we turn off all the lights when we sing Happy Birthday, first the slow English version and then the faster one in Spanish.

Not the big, chaotic family gathering in which you never remember everyone's names or relations to each other.

Not the kindly old grandfathers.

Not the camera stealing little boys.

Not the baby-eating friends,

Who surely has better pictures from a better camera than I have. (Although this is kinda cool-looking, right?)

No. Definitely NOT in three little weeks.

They're not doodles

They're class compositions.












If I can't have a proper cup of coffee in a proper copper coffee pot I'll have a cup of tea.


You can see these a little better if you click on them.

Hugo causes problems

How long does your juice sit in the fridge? A week or two before it is finished?

On Friday I picked up my free sample of this:

(You can't really tell. It's pretty small. )

And on Sunday I was already getting scolded for not drinking it. Peruvian fridges are a much more delicate balance than American ones.

Oh dear, I'm afraid that's one thing that I won't be sorry about leaving in a month. I love my host family. They've been great to me.

But living on my own or with my real family, definitely preferable.

(Translation: I'm selling a scooter model 83. Oh! And try peach Hugo!)

Spanish out the ears

So, there's been no official studies on this phenomenon, but I'm fairly sure that there's little filing cabinet system in your brain with all the information you've collected over the years. And if you start to overfill the drawers, especially the one labeled "Languages," the little file clerk in your head says, "Oh dear. I suppose we must just start throwing things out then!"

I formed this most excellent theory based on my own very solid and extensive evidence: the English has started to tumble out of my ears.

Examples:

I've caught myself framing English sentences as they would be in Spanish: "How do you call that movie?" instead of "What is that movie called?"

I use some phrases in English more now because they're direct translations of phrases I use in Spanish. Like "more or less" as a translation of "mas o menos" instead of using "about" like I used to say. "I think it will cost 10 dollars more or less."

I occasionally forget words in English. "And then they have to pay a...umm...a multa. You know, like, they charge you for doing something bad." "Fine?" "Yes, that!"

I sometimes stick Spanish filler words or conjunctions in English conversation. "Bueno, I need to do homework now." Or "Oh, yes, but the professor was late tambien."

Of course, I still have the same problems in Spanish.

I've noticed that we as study abroad students often like to "complain" about these slip-ups amongst ourselves or to other people. But of course the secret, which is not much of a secret at all, is that we're really quite proud of them. Hopefully they mean we've internalized the language to a certain extent.

If the little file clerk is already throwing things out, it must mean we've shoved in quite a lot of Spanish, right?

Or we just had very small file cabinets to begin with.