That´s just the way it is!
It´s true folks. My camel has officially joined the blogging caravan. I´ve decided that my life has too many random, hilarious, and ironic things going on to not share with the rest of you. Besides, being a foreigner learning a different language and culture adds lots of fun to the mix.
Plus...¨How do I know what I think, unless I´ve seen what I´ve said.¨ That´s my favorite quote of all time!
I moved to Seville, Spain in Feb 2005 so I´ve lived here almost eight months now! Too bad I didn´t start this when I first moved here, but in tonights blog I´lll just recap a few of the highlights that have happend this week. If I tried to recap the last eight months you would be bald, fat, and ugly by the time I´d finish.
-disclaimer...if a few of my sentences are worded weirdly, please forgive me, my English is a bit rusty! bwah!
Let me begin with the department store lady. I had found a pair of boots that I loved and I wanted to try them on. There was a display just like any normal shoe store and the boots that I were eyeing were sitting on the display...normal, right? So, after waiting for about 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge that I was a living breathing human being, the lady finally came over and talked to me. (Living in Spain takes lots of patience, patience, patience). So, what you have to realize is that my secret is out once I open my mouth and say something. I´m guarding this beautifully kept secret that they just might think I¨m Spanish, but all my hopes are dashed once I speak. It´s proven that if you don´t learn a language before the age of 12 you´re pretty much always going to have an accent. So, I told the lady what size I wanted and she looked at me like I was an absolute idiot with four ears and three elbows. Then she proceeded to hold up three fingers and point in an upward motion telling me that this was only a display and that I needed to go to the third floor to try on the boots. Ok, 2 things about this scenario irked me. 1) Why have that display there if I can´t try on the shoes?!!!!!! 2) I´m not an idiot!! I´ve been studying Spanish since I was 16, needless to say I have a long way to go, but come on! Slowly but surely I´m learning to accept that...that´s just the way it is! One thing I´ve learned about languages is that if it´s not your mother tongue people tend to speak really LOUD...it´s like..I´m not deaf!! I feel like I´m trapped in a babies body and I have this persons face really close to mine and their speaking loud and in baby tones. It´s a nightmare! Anyways, back to the lady. I think I would have appreciated her hand motions I suppose if I didn´t have a clue, but at that moment I wanted to slap her across the face and scream, ¨Don´t you EVER do that again.¨ But, of course I just smiled and walked away. I bought the boots by the way.
We have a boxer named Chickie. She´s adorable except for when she comes into the room, farts, and then walks off. I could do without that. Anyways, we live in an apartment (kind of) so I was going to go walk her so she could do her duty. Well, the way our apts. are set up is there are four floors and each floor has 2 apts. When I open my door I see the door of our neighbor. Let´s just say I wouldn´t invite her over for tea anytime soon. So, usually when I let Chickie out I don´t put the leash on her until we´re in the elevator. Not such a good idea yesterday. I didn´t look out the peak hole before I opened the door and I didn´t realize our neighbors apt. door was open and her cleaning lady was mopping the floor! So, I opened the door and I yelled Chickie no because I wanted her to come back into the house. It was at that very moment that the floodgates of Mother Mary herself opened and all of the urine that Chickies bladder had ever created was trickling out onto the floor and into the freshly mopped hallway of my neighbor! She started yelling at me saying , ¨Pull her back into the house!¨ I was thinking, Ok lady! Who touches a dog when it´s peeing? Gross! So, I just let her finish and then got the mop.
Today we went to visit Antonio´s Grandma. She´s 97 years old and lives with Antonio´s aunt and uncle. She´s so cute although she has no idea what´s going on! Everytime I go visit her I´m someone else. It´s kind of fun to change my identity. Today I was José and Marias daughter. Nice. Also, she has no teeth. Here in Spain when you say goodbye and hello you give a kiss on each cheek. I love grandmas kisses. She basically sucks on my cheek for five minutes. To grandmothers´house we go!
So, this is long enough I suppose. I´m off to bed.
The girl with an American Accent,
Sara
Plus...¨How do I know what I think, unless I´ve seen what I´ve said.¨ That´s my favorite quote of all time!
I moved to Seville, Spain in Feb 2005 so I´ve lived here almost eight months now! Too bad I didn´t start this when I first moved here, but in tonights blog I´lll just recap a few of the highlights that have happend this week. If I tried to recap the last eight months you would be bald, fat, and ugly by the time I´d finish.
-disclaimer...if a few of my sentences are worded weirdly, please forgive me, my English is a bit rusty! bwah!
Let me begin with the department store lady. I had found a pair of boots that I loved and I wanted to try them on. There was a display just like any normal shoe store and the boots that I were eyeing were sitting on the display...normal, right? So, after waiting for about 10 minutes for someone to acknowledge that I was a living breathing human being, the lady finally came over and talked to me. (Living in Spain takes lots of patience, patience, patience). So, what you have to realize is that my secret is out once I open my mouth and say something. I´m guarding this beautifully kept secret that they just might think I¨m Spanish, but all my hopes are dashed once I speak. It´s proven that if you don´t learn a language before the age of 12 you´re pretty much always going to have an accent. So, I told the lady what size I wanted and she looked at me like I was an absolute idiot with four ears and three elbows. Then she proceeded to hold up three fingers and point in an upward motion telling me that this was only a display and that I needed to go to the third floor to try on the boots. Ok, 2 things about this scenario irked me. 1) Why have that display there if I can´t try on the shoes?!!!!!! 2) I´m not an idiot!! I´ve been studying Spanish since I was 16, needless to say I have a long way to go, but come on! Slowly but surely I´m learning to accept that...that´s just the way it is! One thing I´ve learned about languages is that if it´s not your mother tongue people tend to speak really LOUD...it´s like..I´m not deaf!! I feel like I´m trapped in a babies body and I have this persons face really close to mine and their speaking loud and in baby tones. It´s a nightmare! Anyways, back to the lady. I think I would have appreciated her hand motions I suppose if I didn´t have a clue, but at that moment I wanted to slap her across the face and scream, ¨Don´t you EVER do that again.¨ But, of course I just smiled and walked away. I bought the boots by the way.
We have a boxer named Chickie. She´s adorable except for when she comes into the room, farts, and then walks off. I could do without that. Anyways, we live in an apartment (kind of) so I was going to go walk her so she could do her duty. Well, the way our apts. are set up is there are four floors and each floor has 2 apts. When I open my door I see the door of our neighbor. Let´s just say I wouldn´t invite her over for tea anytime soon. So, usually when I let Chickie out I don´t put the leash on her until we´re in the elevator. Not such a good idea yesterday. I didn´t look out the peak hole before I opened the door and I didn´t realize our neighbors apt. door was open and her cleaning lady was mopping the floor! So, I opened the door and I yelled Chickie no because I wanted her to come back into the house. It was at that very moment that the floodgates of Mother Mary herself opened and all of the urine that Chickies bladder had ever created was trickling out onto the floor and into the freshly mopped hallway of my neighbor! She started yelling at me saying , ¨Pull her back into the house!¨ I was thinking, Ok lady! Who touches a dog when it´s peeing? Gross! So, I just let her finish and then got the mop.
Today we went to visit Antonio´s Grandma. She´s 97 years old and lives with Antonio´s aunt and uncle. She´s so cute although she has no idea what´s going on! Everytime I go visit her I´m someone else. It´s kind of fun to change my identity. Today I was José and Marias daughter. Nice. Also, she has no teeth. Here in Spain when you say goodbye and hello you give a kiss on each cheek. I love grandmas kisses. She basically sucks on my cheek for five minutes. To grandmothers´house we go!
So, this is long enough I suppose. I´m off to bed.
The girl with an American Accent,
Sara
posted by Sara at 9:00 PM
3 Comments:
I'm SOOOO glad you're blogging now...1)cause you're such a good writer 2) cause you're so dang funny 3) b/c I miss you and your Sara Dance and reading about you're funny life makes the pain a little more bearable...
Love ya,
stacey
What do your boots look like, Miss Sara???
Sara, Sara..How well you word the frsutration of a non-native speaker living in a native country. It sort of cracks me up when they listen real hard, and, as they do it, their eyes get bigger and buggier like that's going to help them see you mouth better then hence understand you better. But, be glad you're noe in Madrid. Madrilenos aren't as nice as Sevillanos. Hey, I'll see you in Sevilla soon!
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