Communication? Yeah. The struggle is real.
Today, at the Costa Vida drive through, I was ordering the Thursday special, a Small Pork Salad. I don't normally get a beverage, but since it was free with the special... um OF COURSE. So I ask for horchata. The gal helping me sounds really confused, and then says, "Wait, did you say HORE--CHOTTA?" Linguistic face palm. It's depressing that I say the name the way the Mexicans say it in the very origin country of this drink... and they don't understand me and I don't understand them for not understanding me and it's a vicious cycle.
Another drive-through faux pas. I'm seventeen years old and at Del Taco (with my little brother Jordan on the passenger side). After the employee finishes repeating the order back to me, I lean closer to the microphone and say "THANK...." And that's it. My throat decided that was an opportune time to clog up with spit and choke my vocal chords. I couldn't even get out the "S" on the end. What's with that!? My brother starts cracking up and now it's a lasting inside joke. "Thank for the birthday present." "Thank for dinner!" and so on.
Those million times a waiter says "enjoy your meal" and I respond "hey you too!" 🙈
When a new hire someplace doesn't know whether to call me "miss" or "ma'am" because I'm in the ambiguous age group of people in their 20's--yet, they're trying hard to be polite--and they end up calling me "miss'am"
When a woman pats my stomach two plus years ago and asks if I'm pregnant when I wasn't even... yeah that was bad. #feltfatfordays #feltjudgedfordays #alsofeltbabyhungryfordays #gotpregnantsevenmonthsafterwardsanddidntlookpregnantforalongtimesowhatever
Listening to that Portugal the Man song and clearly thinking he sings "Oh Yes, I'm a rebel in the quicksand... I've been wriggling since 1966 now" LOL UM WHAT WHY DID I EVER THINK THOSE WERE THE LYRICS!
These are just a handful of silly examples but hey. They make me laugh now. It's funny how we might speak the same language but at the same time not be communicating the same thing at all. I've been speaking English 26+ years now and still a language learner.
The struggle is never over. The laughter isn't either.
Today, at the Costa Vida drive through, I was ordering the Thursday special, a Small Pork Salad. I don't normally get a beverage, but since it was free with the special... um OF COURSE. So I ask for horchata. The gal helping me sounds really confused, and then says, "Wait, did you say HORE--CHOTTA?" Linguistic face palm. It's depressing that I say the name the way the Mexicans say it in the very origin country of this drink... and they don't understand me and I don't understand them for not understanding me and it's a vicious cycle.
Another drive-through faux pas. I'm seventeen years old and at Del Taco (with my little brother Jordan on the passenger side). After the employee finishes repeating the order back to me, I lean closer to the microphone and say "THANK...." And that's it. My throat decided that was an opportune time to clog up with spit and choke my vocal chords. I couldn't even get out the "S" on the end. What's with that!? My brother starts cracking up and now it's a lasting inside joke. "Thank for the birthday present." "Thank for dinner!" and so on.
Those million times a waiter says "enjoy your meal" and I respond "hey you too!" 🙈
When a new hire someplace doesn't know whether to call me "miss" or "ma'am" because I'm in the ambiguous age group of people in their 20's--yet, they're trying hard to be polite--and they end up calling me "miss'am"
When a woman pats my stomach two plus years ago and asks if I'm pregnant when I wasn't even... yeah that was bad. #feltfatfordays #feltjudgedfordays #alsofeltbabyhungryfordays #gotpregnantsevenmonthsafterwardsanddidntlookpregnantforalongtimesowhatever
Listening to that Portugal the Man song and clearly thinking he sings "Oh Yes, I'm a rebel in the quicksand... I've been wriggling since 1966 now" LOL UM WHAT WHY DID I EVER THINK THOSE WERE THE LYRICS!
These are just a handful of silly examples but hey. They make me laugh now. It's funny how we might speak the same language but at the same time not be communicating the same thing at all. I've been speaking English 26+ years now and still a language learner.
The struggle is never over. The laughter isn't either.
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