It's a bit depressing how much my Spanish degraded in just nine months. It's finally getting back up to the level it was last September, after 3 1/2 months of backpacking around South America. I'm adding a whole new set of vocabulary, too... church words. Fortunately, most are either common words anyway (el amor del Padre) or ones that you can figure out pretty easily ("gracia" and "justicia"). A few, though, are a bit wild.... I was pretty lost during one particular Bible study until I figured out that "orgullo" is pride, and that "misericordia" means mercy, not "misery cords."
I've also started introducing myself differently. There's no Spanish equivalent for "Travis," so I had just been pronouncing it in a Spanish way (traah-veees). I discovered, though, that the closest Spanish word to my name is travieso.... roughly translated, "mischievous." I thought that it fit, so I've basically been introducing myself by saying "Hello, I am Mischievous." Helps people remember me.
More fun spanish phrases...
I've also started introducing myself differently. There's no Spanish equivalent for "Travis," so I had just been pronouncing it in a Spanish way (traah-veees). I discovered, though, that the closest Spanish word to my name is travieso.... roughly translated, "mischievous." I thought that it fit, so I've basically been introducing myself by saying "Hello, I am Mischievous." Helps people remember me.
More fun spanish phrases...
- Todo azul -- literally, "all blue." Means everything's going well. Sort of like saying "you're good to go" or "you're golden."
- Sacando las uñas -- "cutting your fingernails." Someone translated it as meaning "coming alive"... kind of makes me think of "letting your hair down."
- My personal favorite.... super-bien. Super good. Self explanatory.
1 comment:
the picture of the kid leaning on the window is my favorite... i thought he had a pocket knife in his hand... but it might be a blade of grass.
i introduce myself as Lyan sometimes... or "sahjah"(lion) because it's just easier. interesting language/culture note... in korea, one almost never uses the word "you". it is considered rude... and is only used with close friends. one always uses the person's name or title. it is very common to exchange business cards when first meeting a person so they will know the correct title to call you. i am called "Lyan Sunsengneem" (ryan teacher (the "neem" part makes it respectful)).
nice work fellow flog-ombre.
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