Nothing Special
Seeing as how this last week has been pretty slow, there isn't really anything with which I can have a lead off. So instead, it'll be just a collection of notes.
- There is no doubt that my English has fallen. It's not a huge problem at all, instead it's a little funny and frustrating at the same time. At least two or three times a week in Chisinau I make basic grammar mistakes like using the wrong tense, or else I just flat out forget a word altogether. Case in point: last Friday my friend and I were in a hotel room eating and were talking about how, at the store that we at with other volunteers they decided to run to McDonald's and one girl had some things in a basket that she had to but away. The problem was, I (and my friend) totally forgot the word 'basket.' I said that she had a full . . . full . . . full . . . and I held up my hand like I was holding something. My friend started to nod but it was clear that he had lost the word too. Finally it came to me, but not before I was on the verge of saying 'bucket'. My friend sighed in relief and said that he was about to say, 'holder.' It was brutal.
- This actually happened a month ago but I feel like it deserves re-telling now. Before I left for vacation my host-grandpa was asking me how we volunteers get money. I told him that my organization gives money to a bank and we go to ATM's and take it out. He leaned back slowly and did something he did with his head that I can't describe but which means that he didn't understand (part of the language we've developed between us that I wrote about last time). But at the same time my host-mom came up behind me and said, “Andy, grandpa doesn't know what an ATM is.” Thought it was classic.
But speaking of host-grandpa, I guess my entry all about him last week jinxed me, because when I got home on Sunday afternoon he was gone. Turns out he staged a little of a hunger strike until they would take him home. It worked.
- On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we had two meetings after school, one with just teachers and one with the parents of the fifth grades students (who are the worst in the school). The total time of the two meetings: three hours. The total amount of words spoken by me: zero. We will actually go around the room while our director gets everyones opinion on a subject and., after asking the teacher to the left of me, will just jump to the teacher to the right. Not that I'm complaining. I'd rather not speak at such events. But they're an amazing waste of my time, at least me because of the fact that, in my position as a volunteer, virtually none of the decisions they make will ever have an effect on me.
-I would love, love, love to write more but last Thursday the new power cord I had just bought two months ago fried again. So alas, I'll be without a computer (and the ability to update this thing) for another two, three weeks. Sorry . . . .
- There is no doubt that my English has fallen. It's not a huge problem at all, instead it's a little funny and frustrating at the same time. At least two or three times a week in Chisinau I make basic grammar mistakes like using the wrong tense, or else I just flat out forget a word altogether. Case in point: last Friday my friend and I were in a hotel room eating and were talking about how, at the store that we at with other volunteers they decided to run to McDonald's and one girl had some things in a basket that she had to but away. The problem was, I (and my friend) totally forgot the word 'basket.' I said that she had a full . . . full . . . full . . . and I held up my hand like I was holding something. My friend started to nod but it was clear that he had lost the word too. Finally it came to me, but not before I was on the verge of saying 'bucket'. My friend sighed in relief and said that he was about to say, 'holder.' It was brutal.
- This actually happened a month ago but I feel like it deserves re-telling now. Before I left for vacation my host-grandpa was asking me how we volunteers get money. I told him that my organization gives money to a bank and we go to ATM's and take it out. He leaned back slowly and did something he did with his head that I can't describe but which means that he didn't understand (part of the language we've developed between us that I wrote about last time). But at the same time my host-mom came up behind me and said, “Andy, grandpa doesn't know what an ATM is.” Thought it was classic.
But speaking of host-grandpa, I guess my entry all about him last week jinxed me, because when I got home on Sunday afternoon he was gone. Turns out he staged a little of a hunger strike until they would take him home. It worked.
- On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week we had two meetings after school, one with just teachers and one with the parents of the fifth grades students (who are the worst in the school). The total time of the two meetings: three hours. The total amount of words spoken by me: zero. We will actually go around the room while our director gets everyones opinion on a subject and., after asking the teacher to the left of me, will just jump to the teacher to the right. Not that I'm complaining. I'd rather not speak at such events. But they're an amazing waste of my time, at least me because of the fact that, in my position as a volunteer, virtually none of the decisions they make will ever have an effect on me.
-I would love, love, love to write more but last Thursday the new power cord I had just bought two months ago fried again. So alas, I'll be without a computer (and the ability to update this thing) for another two, three weeks. Sorry . . . .
posted by Andy Buchanan at 1:56 AM
1 Comments:
Andy,
With Grandpa gone your once again alone against the gals, but even with every other guy in the village by your side the odds were stacked against you. I'll have to file away the "Hunger Stirke" gambit, I may need it some time in the future when I'm pretty defenseless and already played out all of my other cards.
The school meeting sounds like many of those we have at work, just sit there, be seen, and reconcile yourself to the idea that, as you noted, even if you said something it doesn't really matter.
What an odd coincidence, two English speakers forgetting at the same time the word for a common article ! You'll forget many others on occasion but it's not likely to happen again to two.
For "Power" I think Mom found a cord, soon you'll be plugged in again. Maybe it is better to just stare at the ceiling either count the cracks or holes in the accoustic tile.
Nasty here today, -23 deg. Cels. at dawn and going down again tonight. At least the air is incredibly fresh and almost thick, if some one could bottle it he'd do Mankind a great service.
Superbowl madness is building, every single game is being shown in sequence on NFL Network. For a change I'm watching, must be the prospect of a 19-0 season !
Keep warm !
Dad
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