Yo Hablo Español
Sun, February 24, 2008
Filed under: Humor, Updates
[EDIT February 27th 2008]
I finally installed PHPAskIt!, so now all those of you who want to ask me something, but would rather not use the comment form, can do so on the Q&A page! Yes, yes… I know: lame 
[/EDIT]
… or so I thought for a good couple of years. This Christmas holiday proved otherwise, or maybe Spanish speaking people cause me panic attacks? 
Every once in a while, our town is visited by some really cool ‘native American1‘ musicians, who’d play on the streets. Now, I mostly don’t much care for street musicians as they’re rarely good. These guys, however, are really good. I often stopped to listen to them. Lately they’ve even started having better instruments and some really large speakers. Every time they’d show up, a sizable crowd would gather to listen to them play.
Since I now work and have my own money, I of course can afford to throw it all out on nothing… well not quite, but that doesn’t mean I’m not doing it. One such ‘nothing’ happens to be a CD of this band, they’re called Color Indio by the way. Last time I saw them, they were playing right in front of the newly built mall. Getting all excited about buying their CD, I quickly hurried over and started looking excessively interested in the only visible member.
Suddenly, I’m approached by a completely non native American looking guy, who asks if he could help in Spanish. I was very surprised and stared at him a good while. Thinking, I didn’t understand him, he diligently waves his hand periodically pointing at the CD, managing to say a few words in Romanian2.
Finally, it registered that my lunch break was almost over and that if I did want to buy a CD, I had to hurry. It also registered that I did understand the guy’s Spanish without problems, however that didn’t mean I didn’t want to show off my own knowledge as well. Besides, that could also pass as being nice to a stranger. So I open … and subsequently proceed to close my mouth a few times. I couldn’t recall any single word in Spanish. NOT. ONE. MEASLY. WORD. Of course, all this time, the guy helpfully3 threw in some mildly relevant Romanian words with a hefty amount of sign language.
Frustrated beyond belief, and in serious danger of being late to work, I grudgingly told him in Romanian that I wanted to buy one CD, which had only instrumental tracks on it. Well… to be frank, I held up one finger and said “instrumentala”, which was quite enough. All the while I was frowning frustrated that not only was I late, but I couldn’t even compliment the members of the band.
Just when I was about to leave, a bit of Spanish knowledge suddenly found its way on my tongue and I managed to shout:
Me gusta mucho su musica.4
This of course managed to simultaneously scare and amuse the sales person. Plus, it posted a large idiotic smile on my face… finally. Poor guy, must’ve thought I was mental or something
____________
1 they’re not really native Americans, but they look like some.
2 Romanian resembles Spanish a lot, but when it comes down to actually speaking one or the other, they’re not quite the same.
3 or was maybe just really keen on selling the CD 
4 I like your music a lot.
I think the saddest part about reading my old written pages is seeing all the !!! at the end of sentences that shouldn’t be emphasized. Or written for that matter.
Vera: The CD’s great.
LOL! Well, it’s ok, you just sort of got lost in the moment didn’t you? You still got the CD!
Vera: Yeah… but still, it was so embarrassing. I think the guy thought I was pissed at him or something
Oh, I remember when I took Spanish for 1 semester (: I ended up next to a Spanish woman on a plane shortly after and managed to have a pretty good conversation with her, but I can’t remember any Spanish now ):
And, like everyone else has said, at least you got the CD
It must’ve been strange to have someone address you in a language you weren’t used to speaking.
Vera: Oh I get much too excited when I’m addressed in anything but Romanian
This includes my mother tongue X(. I guess I’m afraid of making some colossal mistake and somehow insulting the person, when in fact I want to compliment them.
The only spanish I know is “paella”.
Vera: well here’s your chance to learn I like your music very much… you know so you can dazzle SP with your Spanish knowledge
Ahora podemos hablar en Español
It’s good for you!
Vera: si, como no. Espera solo que busche mi diccionario.
Oh yeah, since all my Spanish stems from watching South American soap operas, my spelling is probably atrocious. 
Instrumental is just “instrumental” in Spanish
Well, I guess you never know how well you dominate a language until you try to have use it in a real conversation. It happened to me with English a couple of years ago. When my cousin came to visit, he spoke English and only some Spanish, while I spoke Spanish and could write (but not speak English). He was here for a couple of weeks and we never managed to communicate successfully
Vera: “instrumentala” is in Romanian.
Like I said, we were speaking an odd mix of Spanish and Romanian
At least, you got the CD.
You’re so brave, though. Normally, I try to avoid speaking foreign tongues at all costs. I’m always willing to have the other party speak X with me replying in English though. I’ve had language blank outs before too. 
They suck. It’s like, “I know the word! I just can’t remember it right now.”
Vera: I like showing off… of course my heart always starts hammering at 10000 mph, but in the end THEY WILL BE IMPRESSED. Yeah, that’s me, impressing complete strangers, I’m unlikely to see again.
You should have just replied to him in English, that would have thrown him through a loop!
As for me, the only thing I can do with the Spanish language, is cuss someone out, and count to ten
I used to know Chinese and French, though, all I really remember with those is how to introduce myself, and, of course, count to ten. hehe.
Vera: I’m very used to hearing Romanian or Hungarian being spoken. So it’s always so exciting being able to understand (and maybe even talk) in some other language.
“Blackfoot Indians Hunting Bear” by Tim Hildebrant would be the cover image they used. Recognized it instantly. My mother has this artbook with him and I used to look through it when I was younger.
I used to have a CD with instrumental Navaho music. I wonder what happened to it…
Heard Sami music yet?
Vera: no. This is the first time I hear the term, I’ll check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-deWlom_5MA
small preview I guess. One of my faves. It’s a “joik”. It’s what their singing is called. They’re one of the oldest inhabitants in Northern Norway.
Oooo, PHPAskit. I am going to go bomb you with pointless questions now.
Vera: They didn’t seem pointless to me… Compared to the rest, I meant.
A few years ago I spent a week in Sweden and I thought it’d be an easy ride since I studied Swedish for five years and English for over a decade. And nothing, absolutely nothing, came out of my mouth in either language
At least you got your point across and got the CD
Vera: yeah, but I felt like such an idiot.