You Say Choclo, I Say Jojoto

The language barrier doesn't stop at different languages. You can speak the same language and still not have any idea what the person just said. You know that whole "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" saying? Well, that's a familiar feeling when you're speaking the same language with somebody from a different country. I believe that is one of the hardest things to grasp about a language: the local influence.

My fiance was born and raised in Ecuador and I was born and raised in Venezuela. Although we have both lived in the USA for more than a decade we mostly speak Spanish among ourselves. I feel very comfortable with the language and dread the thought of loosing my intimacy with it. But it can be tricky to communicate in the same language with a native from a different country. And let me tell you, I have had some embarrassing moments... laughable, but embarrassing.

There are those little words that mean something to you and have a completely different meaning to somebody else... you know those words... the "do you have a fag?" or the "get the suitcase from the boot" words. My fiance and I run into those little incidents frequently. If he tells me ahorita I know he means later... but when I tell him ahorita he knows I mean right now! Or maybe is the tone of voice combined with that look that translates it for him. Either way, we always find a way to communicate and celebrate our bilingual world!

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Charades

Have you ever put two people that speak different languages in a room? It's bound to be loud, frustrating and above all, fun! I love how my friends have helped me cope with my ESL moments. We all just sit there after a second or two of silence and then laugh.

My early conversations were an ongoing game of Charades. I'd be in the middle of a sentence and then... oooh I know that word... it starts with... and then I'd just venture into describing it: it's that little worm that carries its house on top. My friends would all be looking at me like a puppy right before getting a treat... fingers snapping... oh oh... a snail! Yessss, a snail!!! And then the conversation would go on as if nothing ever happened.

That's my game of Charades!

Image by Ali Spagnola