Well, my three-hour tour turned out less eventful than Gilligan’s.
Some pix for ya.
Eat your heart out, girls
That’s David (Da-VEED), my tour guide. I had him all to myself, since I was the only passenger on the boat. Sort of a waste for the tour company, but good for me.
He was a really good kid, and ambitious enough to end up owning the tour company (if not a whole string of them) someday. He was the middle child of a farm family who learned English by taking lessons from a neighbor (over the objections of his father and older siblings) and is now in his third year of college, also over their objections, paying as he goes for his degree.
Eat your heart out, all my snowbound, windblown friends
This is where the tour stopped for lunch
Not a very good picture, but you get the idea. I ordered fish fingers, which turned out to involve actual fish (crunchy skin-on), not the processed things I’d usually associate with that name. They came with fried plantains, pico de gallo, and another sauce I couldn’t identify. Tasty! And you sure couldn’t beat the view.
Unfortunately some people still have to work
These guys were fishing. The one in the foreground was in charge of a net (which he had completely over his head, though it doesn’t show in the photo). The man in the rearground would furiously beat the water with a stick, then help the other man corral the discombobulated pescados into the net.
—–
David took the opportunity to give me a Spanish lesson.
I can now say:
Tengo dos perros en mi casa. Uno es macho. Otra es hembra. El macho se llama Robbie y tiene trece años. La hembra se llama Ava y tiene ocho años.
—–
Thanks to helpful Jorge in comments, I can now also ask for restaurant food to go (para llevar) without implying that major organs might be torn out of anyone’s body in the process.
—–
David and I also had an interesting conversation about translating idiomatic expressions. I used “break a leg” as an example. He got the idea about using a special “bad luck” phrase as a good luck wish, but was bemused that it was mostly only for actors. I told him that the equivalent, in Italian, was in bocca al lupo (“in the mouth of the wolf”) — totally different expression but the exact same idea. He couldn’t think of any Spanish equivalent, though I imagine there must be one, superstition about luck being pretty universally human.
I tried getting a Spanish equivalent for “on the fly.” That concept he couldn’t get at all. He first suggested immediato, then suggested something to do with making mistakes from hasty judgment. I said, “Close but no banana.” Which didn’t help matters at all.
So much gets lost in translation.
Looks like a great trip!
I am on my thrid reading of Spanish for Dummies, and I guess it is finally paying off, I could read and understand the passage about your dogs. My pronunciations would suck if I was to read it out loud though.
Well, that translation was easy, but don’t throw us anything harder, it’s been a while since I studied Spanish.
The “blue lagoon” was pretty. Were you playing Brooke Shields with Da-VEED ― Hmm?
Interesting that his parents and siblings didn’t want him to learn English or go to college. Sounds like either a prejudice or wanting him to stay on the farm and help. I’m guessing it’s the former, at least where English is concerned; most Latinos I’ve known are adamant about not losing their language to English.
Depends on how you define “Latino.” Most of them around here lost Spanish generations ago.
Mexican, Cuban, Spanish, Brazilian-Portugese (also European Portugese), and San Salvadoran over the past 50 years. Friends, acquaintances, patients. They don’t want to lose their language in the general ‘Americanization’ taking place around the globe. They preferred to retain their individual nationality, language and customs.
That doesn’t mean they don’t speak English, but they don’t want to lose their native tongue. Those still living in their own country have seen what’s happening around the globe, and I can believe that many simply prefer to stay home and keep their family members at home rather than become influenced by us, and by the English language.
*Especially* these days when we have become ― again, or still ― the ugly American, not just in manners now, but in politics and take-over-the-country military.
It’s not too snowbound and windblown here. Yeah, we have some of both, but nothing extreme.
Linguistic idioms are fun. I like the Russian: He ran from the wolf, only to meet the bear.
You post reminded me I needed to go back outside to get the sun tea.
My thinking is that people are people, everywhere. I could be dropped off anywhere in the world and likely could relate to the closest person much better than I can to an Obama supporter. I believe it’s probable that Da-VEED’s relatives are simply small minded people who don’t want him to be better than they are, since learning a foreign language in no way implies rejecting one’s own culture. Good for him, very good.
As for “on the fly,” my best guess would be “como se va,” which more or less means as you go. I feel it has a fair chance of being correct as it basically came out reflexively(sic). Your hosts can confirm or debunk this.
What gorgeous and restful scenery! Thanks for sharing the pics with those of us who’ve had a day of white out snow and wind.
Wow! I understood your dog words. I’m not sure I’d have understood it spoken though. My very best spanish phrase was “Por favor, hablame despacio. No se mucho espanol.” Please speak to me slowly. I don’t know much spanish. I used that a whole lot in my limited travels.
I’ve heard the most useful phrases are:
Uno mas cerveza, por favor.
Donde es el bano?
Apologies for the off-topic post, but I’m hoping Claire will see it.
I’m moving my web hosting to a new hosting service, which means that rats-nosnitch.com ‘s name servers need to be updated. Sent email, but have received no response. The old server will disappear in a week.
Yes, David is very nice looking indeed. And smart too? Very special. A little eye candy once in a while harms nobody. 🙂
It’s been a great many years since I tried to speak any Spanish, so was pleased that I could read your little paragraph without problems. I’ve always been able to read Spanish and French much better than I could speak it, or understand it spoken.
Used to laugh and say I knew all the Spanish words I needed in So. Calif.:
Taco, enchelada, burrito, por favor, gracias.
I haven’t studied Spanish in about 30 years; surprised I could translate most of it. There is hope for me yet! I know dos perros that missed you very much.