Walden World

The wacky and wonderful tales of Beth's and Catherine's global adventures. And all things Walden too.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

language mistakes and a bold pigeon

Learning new languages or refreshing your skills can be difficult stuff.  Two nights ago we had wine at a restaurant where catherine did not want to eat. So in spanish she tried to do the Canadian  thing to say she was not hungry and that is why she was not wanting to order food.

Like a Canadian she did the polite thing to say she would definitely return tomorrow night because, she thought she said, I have no hunger.

However what she in fact said was ,because I don't have a man,

now catherine will pull out the straight card some times but I was puzzled.

You told the waiter you have no man and need to come back tomorrow night ..

Catherine crumpled in her chair in embarrassment.  That is one of the things my spanish teachers in nicaragua kept warning me,  she said, I keep mixing hungry with a man.  To say I have no hunger is very different than saying I have no man.

Very funny for me until I confused brother with handsome.  I won't try and spell because of awful auto correct

but the next day there were these two little miscreants in the square flogging the usual stuff the sister maybe 8. Her brother about 7

As she lazed, on my table exhausted, it was by now 6 ish, I asked if the boy by me was her brother.

But I didn't. I actually asked if he was handsome.

This girl looked at me in the way all people do when you are not sure but wary.

She wanted the peanuts and the lime from the tapas plate and I gave her half then her brother.

She and her brother ran away no doubt thinking I was some creepy god knows what.

I kicked myself as I looked in the language book.  Hermosa? Not Hermano?

then a giant and quite healthy pigeon flew up on the table and like a lion of Phoenix sat grabbing the rest of the peanuts.  When I tried to shu her away she flapped her wings angrily and ate all these peanuts.

Clearly everyone wanted my peanuts.


















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