Have you ever been the only one? You are standing at a party and you look around no one looks like you and no one talks like you and you realize you are the only one? I mean really the "only one." I've been the "only one" many times in my life. Mostly by choice. For some reason I have this internal desire to be the "only one."
This past weekend we (my husband, son and I) went to a birthday party for a friends daughter. As I sat there listening to conversations around me it dawned on me that I was the only white, English speaking, native born American there. I think the obvious feeling would have been to feel alone, nervous, uneasy. But I wasn't and actually never have felt that. Instead I feel privileged, energized and intrigued. I have a very special place, an outsider invited into another realm. A traveler that hasn't left town. I can participate and observe all at the same time. It's a opportunity that only one who can walk that fine line of two cultures can experience.
I speak Spanish. I'm married to a Mexican, the closest relationship one can have by choice. I eat beans for breakfast. I put lime on my soup. I watch telenovelas (yes I admit I've been watching "Hasta Que el Dinero no Se Pare"). I rout for Mexico in the World Cup. And someday I'll even have a Mexican Passport. But I'll never fully be Mexican because...
Every time I meet someone new they always ask me, "hablas espanol?" with a doubtful look. I don't look the part. And even after I convince people that I indeed hablo espanol, conversation is still limited. I know they are thinking to themselves "what do I talk to this Gringa about?" And I, knowing full well that my Spanish is just fine, always feel like if I talk to much they are going to find fault with my Spanish and really dismiss me as a poser. So I, a very outgoing person, withdraw, thus reinforcing my outsider status. A vicious cycle.
But this weekend I came to a positive realization about this. I don't know that I want to ever fully be. It was fun to be the "only one." I like the anonymity it gives. I like the observations I can make. I like the freedom to step outside of the moment and reflect.
My husband has been playing the part of the "only one" ever since we moved to Colorado. When he started his job he was the only Mexican working on a staff of 160+ people. He has been able to give me insights into my culture that I would never have noticed on my own.
I think together we are creating our own culture. A culture of the middle realm, where Spanish and English intermingle, where brown and white make a beautiful shade of tan and love holds lives from both sides of the border together.
Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
On Nicknames
I'm not sure if this is just part of my husband's world or if this really extends to all Mexicans, but I don't really know my husband's friends names. What I do know instead are their nicknames. It seems that everyone has one and some aren't flattering.
Take my husband for example. His real name is Jesus but his nickname is Chuy. How did Chuy come out of Jesus? If you ask him, he will say it's because his name is Jesus Emanuel. If he was Jesus Manuel he would be called Chema. Oh, that cleared it all up! Clear as mud, thanks honey.
There are other common nicknames that don't seem to have any relation to the real name.
Francisco becomes Kiko or Paco or Pancho
Jose becomes Pepe
Rodolfo-Pop0
Ok I guess we have a few of those as well. One might not immediately derive Bill from William or Betsy from Elizabeth if they were learning English as a second language.
But then there are the nicknames based on someones appearance. Close circles of friends might have funny nicknames for each other, but these names are not generally shared and used as the standard.
For example my husband's soccer friend is called El Negro, the black one. I don't even know El Negro's real name. This is how widespread and understood his nickname is. I'm not sure if my husband even knows his real name. When El Negro's family was here the other day, I even heard his wife call him that. Given this countries history and struggle for civil rights, I'm going to guess no one would really venture to call anyone, Hey Blackie! (Just a side note here he's not even black!)
So I've compiled a list (with the help of my husband) of some nicknames you just wouldn't hear used in the White American vernacular.
Nicknames to describe the color of your skin
El Guero- the white one, Whitie
El Negro- the Black one, Blackie
El Moreno- the Brown one, Brownie
Nicknames to describe other features
Tofeo- trompudo y feo, big ugly trumpet (mouth)
Gordita- Little Fat one, (Not to be confused with Gorda- just fat which would be considered insulting)
El Patotas- Big Foot
Cepe- cejas de perro, eyebrows of a dog
el foco de mercado- supermarket lights, because the person had a lot of zits
el bocho- Volkswagen beetle, because the person had big ears
pelon- baldy
Pope- After Popi, because someone had big arms
I've yet to find what is really embarrassing in Mexican culture. Being called El Foco and drawing attention to the fact that someone has really bad acne seems embarrassing to me. But in my experience Mexicans are extremely good at making light of life and light of themselves. My husband will be the first to tell you "Mexican jokes." He loves them, thinks they are hilarious. Instead of getting offended he just laughs. What a great way to go about life, no?
Take my husband for example. His real name is Jesus but his nickname is Chuy. How did Chuy come out of Jesus? If you ask him, he will say it's because his name is Jesus Emanuel. If he was Jesus Manuel he would be called Chema. Oh, that cleared it all up! Clear as mud, thanks honey.
There are other common nicknames that don't seem to have any relation to the real name.
Francisco becomes Kiko or Paco or Pancho
Jose becomes Pepe
Rodolfo-Pop0
Ok I guess we have a few of those as well. One might not immediately derive Bill from William or Betsy from Elizabeth if they were learning English as a second language.
But then there are the nicknames based on someones appearance. Close circles of friends might have funny nicknames for each other, but these names are not generally shared and used as the standard.
For example my husband's soccer friend is called El Negro, the black one. I don't even know El Negro's real name. This is how widespread and understood his nickname is. I'm not sure if my husband even knows his real name. When El Negro's family was here the other day, I even heard his wife call him that. Given this countries history and struggle for civil rights, I'm going to guess no one would really venture to call anyone, Hey Blackie! (Just a side note here he's not even black!)
So I've compiled a list (with the help of my husband) of some nicknames you just wouldn't hear used in the White American vernacular.
Nicknames to describe the color of your skin
El Guero- the white one, Whitie
El Negro- the Black one, Blackie
El Moreno- the Brown one, Brownie
Nicknames to describe other features
Tofeo- trompudo y feo, big ugly trumpet (mouth)
Gordita- Little Fat one, (Not to be confused with Gorda- just fat which would be considered insulting)
El Patotas- Big Foot
Cepe- cejas de perro, eyebrows of a dog
el foco de mercado- supermarket lights, because the person had a lot of zits
el bocho- Volkswagen beetle, because the person had big ears
pelon- baldy
Pope- After Popi, because someone had big arms
I've yet to find what is really embarrassing in Mexican culture. Being called El Foco and drawing attention to the fact that someone has really bad acne seems embarrassing to me. But in my experience Mexicans are extremely good at making light of life and light of themselves. My husband will be the first to tell you "Mexican jokes." He loves them, thinks they are hilarious. Instead of getting offended he just laughs. What a great way to go about life, no?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
On Spanglish
There are those who would like a language to stay stagnant, frozen in historical time, bound up by rules and grammar. But language is a living organism. It breaths, grows, adapts and changes as it follows the life of it's speakers. Some might argue that Spanish and English should remain separate entities. But if you live in my house you will find that they co-exist quit nicely.
Today I was telling my husband what to get my son out for dinner and I caught (which doesn't usually happen) the crazy sentence that was coming out of my mouth. Los peas, que estan en el frig son good. Really did I just say that?
In my house we speak Spanglish. Generally my husband speaks Spanish and I English, or so at least I think I am. For example, my husband, my mom and I were all on our way to Home Depot the other day. My husband and I were talking about what we needed. When we got into the store my husband went off in his own direction and I turned to my mom and said, "what was it that we needed?"
"You are asking me?" She said.
"Yah, we were just talking about it in car." Still not understanding why she wasn't helping.
"You do realize that whole conversation was in Spanish, right?" she said.
Hum... clearly I didn't!
I love that I have the ability to switch back and forth between languages. I love the looks I get when I answer my phone in the middle of Target in Spanish. I love the options that open up for music, movies and TV because it doesn't matter if it's in English or Spanish. More importantly I love that I have been able to meet so many more people in this world all because I speak another language. There really is something to being bi-lingual.
There are some very fun Spanglish words I thought I would share with you. I hope you enjoy!
Googlear - to google someone
Molear- to go to the mall
Parkeate- to park (this one is so entwined in Border Spanish that I do believe people truely think this is an actually Spanish word)
pusheme- push me
watchale- watch this
un ridete- a ride
esmoking- tux
yonque- junk yard (pronounced like junky)
boiler- water heater
me frekea- I'm freaked out
troca- truck
nerdo- nerd
If I come across any new and good ones I'll be sure to add them. Until them I'll make sure to check that my blog is written in English and I haven't empece a escribir en Espanol.
Today I was telling my husband what to get my son out for dinner and I caught (which doesn't usually happen) the crazy sentence that was coming out of my mouth. Los peas, que estan en el frig son good. Really did I just say that?
In my house we speak Spanglish. Generally my husband speaks Spanish and I English, or so at least I think I am. For example, my husband, my mom and I were all on our way to Home Depot the other day. My husband and I were talking about what we needed. When we got into the store my husband went off in his own direction and I turned to my mom and said, "what was it that we needed?"
"You are asking me?" She said.
"Yah, we were just talking about it in car." Still not understanding why she wasn't helping.
"You do realize that whole conversation was in Spanish, right?" she said.
Hum... clearly I didn't!
I love that I have the ability to switch back and forth between languages. I love the looks I get when I answer my phone in the middle of Target in Spanish. I love the options that open up for music, movies and TV because it doesn't matter if it's in English or Spanish. More importantly I love that I have been able to meet so many more people in this world all because I speak another language. There really is something to being bi-lingual.
There are some very fun Spanglish words I thought I would share with you. I hope you enjoy!
Googlear - to google someone
Molear- to go to the mall
Parkeate- to park (this one is so entwined in Border Spanish that I do believe people truely think this is an actually Spanish word)
pusheme- push me
watchale- watch this
un ridete- a ride
esmoking- tux
yonque- junk yard (pronounced like junky)
boiler- water heater
me frekea- I'm freaked out
troca- truck
nerdo- nerd
If I come across any new and good ones I'll be sure to add them. Until them I'll make sure to check that my blog is written in English and I haven't empece a escribir en Espanol.
Monday, March 8, 2010
On Telenovelas
So I'm pretty sure the Oscars were on last night. But in my house it was the finale of "En el Nombre del Amor."
If you've never seen a Telenovela, change the channel to Telemundo or Univison between the hours of 5-8pm and you are bound to find one. Don't worry if you don't speak Spanish, you don't need to. Just know the basics of a Telenovela and you'll be an aficionado in no time.
Telenovelas literally translated is "a novel of the TV." It is not, I repeat, not a Soap Opera. Soap Operas are on during the day and the same shows have been running since, well... before I was born with the same old (and I really mean old) actors. Telenovelas on the other hand are more like long mini-series. They run an average of 3-4 months, Monday-Friday. The same episode can air up to 3 times a night, at 5, 6 and 7. Just in case you missed it the first two runs you can be sure to catch it at some point that night. (Interestingly, it makes it easy to watch what I want around my house, because the telenovela will be on again the next hour.)
There are 3 main ingredients to any good telenovela;
1. A rich and handsome character
2. The poor, angelic and equally beautiful women who is in love with the rich man
3. and the evil villain who seeks to keep them apart whether out of jealous or a desire to maintain the status quo for 120 episodes
Their are famous telenovela actors and actresses; Pedro Fernandez, Itati Cantoral, Araceli Arambula and Eduardo Yanes. No matter what happens, or how implausible the scenario the series would have to end if one of them were to be killed off. So even if a women falls from the top of a cathedral after being shot, she will live. (This was the case with last nights finale of "En el Nombre del Amor")
Far fetched and overly dramatic themes are the keys to a convincing telenovela and the acting follows suit. Gestures are big, crying is loud and emotions are evident.
The music cannot be forgotten either. Each scene is backed by a dramatic mood setting score. Each telenovela has it's own theme song which shows up over and over again throughout the show, not just at the beginning. The catchy little tunes ("Hasta que el dinero no separe" my husbands sings as I write) gets stuck in your head. A handy little reminder as you go about your day not to forget to watch that night. Although if you do it's not that big of a deal because it will be on again in an hour!
All the drama makes these shows popular the world over. I used to work with refugees from all over the world. I can't tell you the number of times I would go to visit someone and find them watching a telenovela. Russians, Iraqis, Liberians, Afghans, none of whom spoke any Spanish. But it didn't matter. The themes, drama and beautiful people make them universally understandable and popular. Whenever I would mention to any of the refugees that watching a Spanish television program was not going to help their English they would shrug and say "Don't I need to know Spanish in the US as well?" Touche I say!
So although I live in a house of telenovela fans (even my husband, although I'm not sure he will admit it) I have yet to get sucked in. I'll stick to Gray's Anatomy and Bones, there's enough Drama in those for me. I can get all the funny highlights I need from the Soup anyway!
PS. On a side note, Why are Spanish television stations louder than English ones? If you don't believe me start flipping though channels and notice how quickly you want to reach for your volume button when you flip to telemundo. I don't understand, any ideas?
If you've never seen a Telenovela, change the channel to Telemundo or Univison between the hours of 5-8pm and you are bound to find one. Don't worry if you don't speak Spanish, you don't need to. Just know the basics of a Telenovela and you'll be an aficionado in no time.
Telenovelas literally translated is "a novel of the TV." It is not, I repeat, not a Soap Opera. Soap Operas are on during the day and the same shows have been running since, well... before I was born with the same old (and I really mean old) actors. Telenovelas on the other hand are more like long mini-series. They run an average of 3-4 months, Monday-Friday. The same episode can air up to 3 times a night, at 5, 6 and 7. Just in case you missed it the first two runs you can be sure to catch it at some point that night. (Interestingly, it makes it easy to watch what I want around my house, because the telenovela will be on again the next hour.)
There are 3 main ingredients to any good telenovela;
1. A rich and handsome character
2. The poor, angelic and equally beautiful women who is in love with the rich man
3. and the evil villain who seeks to keep them apart whether out of jealous or a desire to maintain the status quo for 120 episodes
Their are famous telenovela actors and actresses; Pedro Fernandez, Itati Cantoral, Araceli Arambula and Eduardo Yanes. No matter what happens, or how implausible the scenario the series would have to end if one of them were to be killed off. So even if a women falls from the top of a cathedral after being shot, she will live. (This was the case with last nights finale of "En el Nombre del Amor")
Far fetched and overly dramatic themes are the keys to a convincing telenovela and the acting follows suit. Gestures are big, crying is loud and emotions are evident.
The music cannot be forgotten either. Each scene is backed by a dramatic mood setting score. Each telenovela has it's own theme song which shows up over and over again throughout the show, not just at the beginning. The catchy little tunes ("Hasta que el dinero no separe" my husbands sings as I write) gets stuck in your head. A handy little reminder as you go about your day not to forget to watch that night. Although if you do it's not that big of a deal because it will be on again in an hour!
All the drama makes these shows popular the world over. I used to work with refugees from all over the world. I can't tell you the number of times I would go to visit someone and find them watching a telenovela. Russians, Iraqis, Liberians, Afghans, none of whom spoke any Spanish. But it didn't matter. The themes, drama and beautiful people make them universally understandable and popular. Whenever I would mention to any of the refugees that watching a Spanish television program was not going to help their English they would shrug and say "Don't I need to know Spanish in the US as well?" Touche I say!
So although I live in a house of telenovela fans (even my husband, although I'm not sure he will admit it) I have yet to get sucked in. I'll stick to Gray's Anatomy and Bones, there's enough Drama in those for me. I can get all the funny highlights I need from the Soup anyway!
PS. On a side note, Why are Spanish television stations louder than English ones? If you don't believe me start flipping though channels and notice how quickly you want to reach for your volume button when you flip to telemundo. I don't understand, any ideas?
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