"You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be" 

(richard the texas yogi)

words sometimes can slap you harder than mr. t and his knuckle rings. i just had one of those moments.

the hilarities of being an efl teacher.

so this post was inspired by a fellow teacher's experience. so the first thing i tell all my students is to drop spanish at the door when they come into the class and treat english as its own separate entity. i believe this is the only real way to understand and learn a language, because otherwise during your entire english practice you will be translating from your native language to the other one, which can pose many problems, some of which i will now begin to explain.

i was going over going out to eat in the US and we began to talk about the internation cuisine available in the states. we got onto mexican cuisine (one of my personal favorites and a favorite of paisas as well), and they began listing foods: quesadilla, tacos, little donkeys...
"Wait...what? Andrés, what are little donkeys?"
"Teacher, you know, little donkeys. They eat them much with Mexican food."
"Andrés are you sure? Have you had little donkey before?"
"Yes teacher. It is my favorite food Mexican."
"Ok, I have never seen little donkey in a Mexican restaurant before."
"Really teacher? Little donkey...como burrito?"
::Busting laughter from said teacher::

in my course 12 we were talking about indirect requests, such as would you mind..., could you..., and so on. we were talking about asking for favors using indirect requests and the following conversation actually happened:
"Ok Diana. Santi has a car and you want him to drive you to class in the morning. How would you ask him?"
"Santi, would you mind riding me all the way to class?"
"Um...Diana. You can't say that in the English."
"Why, teacher? I want him to ride me."
::Busting laughter from said teacher who has the mind of a 13 year old boy::

i was talking to a coworker named rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrafa (you need to say the r like that otherwise it just isnt right) about hilarious instances in class where translations have gone horribly horribly wrong. the following is my favorite:
"Ok, you all have 25 minutes to complete the quiz. Raise your hand if you need help."
::Student raises hand::
"Yes Mauricio."
"Teacher, what verb do you need to use here?"
"I can't tell you that Mauricio. Just do the best you can."
"Ay come on teacher...blow me!" (at which point in the story said teacher from before who is listening to this story busts out laughing to the point where she starts crying)
"What, right here?" (said teacher from before starts laughing even harder)
::Puzzled look on student's face::
"Sopleme in Spanish does not mean the same in English, Mauricio. I'll explain later..."
(for the record, sopleme is like saying "give me a hint", though the literal translation is "blow me")

there are oh so many more, but i like doing things in 3s, so lets keep it at that.

the key to happiness

some say the key to happiness is love. others sex. others chocolate. others model cars. ive always said the key to happiness is your surroundings, both social and physical. when im in a certain place it can affect whether im happy or not...

and guess who agrees with me this time?!?! fastcompany just did blog post about how buildings can make you happy. guess im not the only one, am i?!?!

swine flu aint got nothin on paisa fever

the next 2 weeks shall bring 2 cornellians to colombia, with the arrival of alina ahorita and wes the first week of june. then comes the bro. that officially brings the "syd's paisa persuasion" count to 6, with a pending 7th in october. 

the colombian tourism agency should be giving me commission. 

antioquia, te quiero.

after another successful and funfilled trainee weekend, i once again realize how much i love antioquia and medellin. i LOVE trainee weekends because i get to see medellin and its neighboring towns through a first-timer's eyes, and this weekend was no exception. we once again made our way up to la piedra de peñol, complete with the most breathtaking view of the country's most treasured reservoir (that also happens to supply 70% of the country's power) after a grueling hike up over 700 steps. we once again made a promise to buy a casa finca in guatapé if and when we all have money from our successful lives. and we once again ended the day with a fabulous rumba in la ruana de juana (i dont care how mañe you think it is, we ALWAYS have a good time there). and i once again woke up with a sore butt, a guayabo, and a huge love and appreciation for this country and especially this department.

and now i await the 30 days until the arrival of the bro, which shall commense the weeklong tour de antioquia. im beyond excited.

done.

finally i finished my damn tefl certificate. and with one day left to spare before it expires.


i guess it just goes to show i really cant get anything done unless theres a fire lit under my ass. this is probably a bad thing, but ce la vie.

im kind of a nerd...

i like reading and talking about technology and the environment and existential shit. i barely drink. i enjoy doing academic type projects for fun. im really into the news. i take a 3 hour nap every saturday afternoon. one of my favorite activities is food shopping. gchatting is like a hobby of mine. sometimes when im out partying with my friends i become jealous of my 85 year old roommate who is at home, snuggled up in bed with a book...

and im happier than ive ever been. so heres to finding out my true calling in life is to be ñoña.