Conversations

I'm in town for a natural resources management conference--sounds impressive, but mostly I've been sitting in a conference room with no idea what people are saying! Anyway, I thought I'd amuse you with an example of my language and cultural progress--

Sample conversation, translated from Malagasy, Week 1

Malagasy: Hey vazaha! (Vazaha=white-skinned foreigner)

Rowan: I'm not a foreigner, I live here! My name is Rowan.

Malagasy: Ehhh! You're already good at Malagasy!

Rowan: A little, I'm still learning.

Malagasy: (something incomprehensible)

Rowan: Um...can you speak slower, please?

Malagasy: Aren't you good at Malagasy?

Rowan: I'm still learning, and this is the fourth dialect I've learned in three months!

Malagasy: OK, you are French?

Rowan: No, I'm American

Malagasy: You're African?

Rowan: No, American, I'm from the United States.

Malagasy: Oh, South America.

Rowan: No, North America, near Canada.

Malagasy: Oh, they speak French in Quebec.

Rowan: Yes.

Malagasy: Obama is from the U.S. He looks like me. You don't, you're the opposite, so white! See the difference between our skin color? Crazy!

Rowan: Very true.

Malagasy: What are you doing?

Rowan: I'm going on a walk and then I will cook lunch.

Malagasy: Will you cook rice?

Rowan: Yes.

Malagasy: Good, enjoy!

Rowan: Thank you!

Sample conversation, translated from Malagasy, Week 4

Malagasy: Roy-Anne! Hey!

Rowan: Hey, what's new?

Malagasy: Nothing new. Where were you yesterday, I didn't see you!

Rowan: I went to the market, I needed vegetables.

Malagasy: Very nice, you're getting water now? (Malagasies have a (usually) endearing habit of constantly stating the obvious to have something to say)

Rowan: Yes, I'm getting water.

Malagasy: Why do you carry it like a man? You should carry it on your head!

Rowan: I can carry one bucket on my head, but I'd not good with two!

Malagasy: Ahh! OK, question, what does this mean in Malagasy--"Can you hold my bear?"

Rowan: Wait, what?

Malagasy: Can you hold my bear?

Rowan: Where did you hear that?

Malagasy: A movie. They were in a restaurant.

Rowan: Ohhh, "Can you hold my beer"! In Malagasy, afaka mangala biereko, I guess.

Malagasy: That makes no sense.

Rowan: No not really, but more sense than bear--Afaka mangala bibibeko!

Malagasy: Haha, OK!

Rowan: See you later!

Malagasy: Bye!

The people in my town are really nice, and I'm glad that my language is finally getting to the point where I can have conversations with them--or at least have conversations with sympathetic speakers who will enunciate for me! Last night, I was experimenting with pancake recipes (cinnamon, chocolate, banana, raisin--half for me and half divided among the five fascinated children crowded around the stove). After the kids left, two middle schoolers came up to the window and one completely floored me by striking up a conversation about what he had been learning in school, namely the importance of the Marshall Plan in the development of the economy in post-WW2 Europe. I was totally amazed and gratified that, with occasional rephrasing on both our parts, we were able to have a good conversation!

In other news, the World Cup is starting in South Africa, and it sounds like some of the people in my town are going to pay for a generator and reception for the games so everyone can watch the matches in the big empty building near my well--Brazil is the favorite team!