Monday, October 25, 2010

In Transit to Africa- Sunday, Day 9- The Calm

Currently, I am at a London Mcdonalds using the Internet. So, typing this on my iPod is difficult. Oh well. It's the only Internet around! And it's free! Yay!
Anypoo. Europe is interesting. There are a lot of things that make it really feel like a different part of the world. Little things, like mannerisms and accents. There have been a few times where I have just stared at some of these people trying to figure out what they are saying. After I ask them to repeat it, I'm still lost as to what they are trying to say. So I ask again, but it just confuses me further. So instead of asking a third time, I just go : "uhhhn" like I knew what they said. Then I pray that they don't ask me a question about it. One time someone did ask me what I thought about it, and I had no clue what he was talking about. So with eager eyes and ears he looked deeply into my soul...searching...waiting...peering...wondering...pondering, questioning, calculating, observing, and biding his time. Anyone on the outside would see two people staring intently into each other's eyes, neither one sure what is going on. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, I shrugged and walked away.
(there is a little baby SCREAMING up a storm next to me right now) ((WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA))
Anypoo. Other things include like the locks on doors, apartments being called flats, cookies called biscuits, fries called chips, and other small things really make it to where you need to take an extra seconds or two to calculate what is being said. Finally! I have an excuse to why I always have a stupefied look on my face!!
(the baby started in again..)
Ok I'm done for now, but this post is subject to extreme change. I skipped a few days, so I might include a brief overview of those days, but I'm not sure. That, and I'm about to eat this little kid if he keeps it up.

10 comments:

  1. When do you acctually leave for Uganda?? :) For me it's only one week and one day left, can't belive it!!! :D

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  2. I leave now! I'm at the airport waiting for my flight! And you have such a short time left! Yay us!!

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  3. You're expierences are strangely similar to mine in London. Same "unknowingness" of what people are talking about. Same happiness once you've figured out how to navigate. Same thoughts on the city itself to. Incredible there, eh?

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  4. It's crazy isn't it?! I don't know very much Tagalog, so the nanays (some don't speak english) will talk to me in Tagalog and I'll catch parts but not know completely (or not sure if I remember the english translation of that word they used correctly or just mixing it up) what they're saying. One the friends told me to just nod and say yes. I tried that, but then of course the nanay's just told me she's moving back to the Philipines or so and so is sick or asked me if I can pick her up for service Wednesday and of course I didn't realize that and then don't pick her up *sweatdrop* queing the awkward moments. So now most of the time if I don't catch all of it, I smile and tell the nanay that I love her (if it sounds and looks like she's complimenting me, they do that alot so I got the feel for it...a little) unless it sounds like it could be a question or something serious, then I say paki-pasensya po (sorry/please bear with me) but I don't understand and try to give my best (pathetic attempt) puppy face. It's funny to look back on though and be like, "Yeah. I remember falling flat on my face conversationally with the filipinos. I'm sure those awkward moments were hilarious to the spectators.".

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  5. Amen, Nautica. That is just so funny to hear someone have a similar understanding of what goes on when you dont really know what someone said! It happened a lot in Japan, as well...

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  6. Hey, Maxine! Maybe the future happenings happen (lol) to be similar to what you've seen while I'm in Uganda!

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  7. ........and umbrellas are bumbershoots and toilets are WCs and car trunks are boots

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  8. Dsc, I didnt know that...Interesting how things are seen by other people, isn't it?
    btw...Who is Dsc??

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  9. I dont even know, Maxine. Never mind lol.

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