Star*
call 911........call 911
So it's not a huge secret I love languages. Every opportunity in meeting someone foreign I always ask "How do you say?" and then commit it to memory (best as I can anymore)
So I'm at the register at the little dollar store (job #2) and a woman walks in with a pink shawl on her head. At first glance I thought it was her hair. Further inspection of her said to me she was perhaps foreign. I thought perhaps she was Arabian - and would later try to impress her with my spoken Arabian words. The only ones I ever learned.
I used to work for a man who was from UAE. His wife taught me how to say "I love my husband." because there was a prince from Kuwait that used to come in where I worked hell bent on taking me to a foreign land as a wife (no thank you). So I memorized it. It's the ONLY Arabic I know.
So I figured I would IMPRESS her with my knowledge of HER language. And as she and this man were conversing I asked where she was from and he said "Saudi Arabia. Why do you know other saudis?" and I said "No but I knew a man from UAE and a Kuwait prince wanted to marry me years ago. I even know a little ARabic." and I proceeded to impress this couple with Enta Habibi.....
Well - Here's a lesson we can all learn from kids - because her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. And me in my excitement thought it was because I had made her feel welcome and comfortable and I was trying to communicate....and I felt so good. And then he said something to her and she snapped back at first and then I said "DId I say something wrong?" and he was laughing and I'm standing there blinking....and he said "Enta Habibi means - HE is my LOVER."
WELL YOU CAN NOT POSSIBLY imagine the embarrassment I felt at that moment. Other customers in line were giggling, I was nearly as red as a tomato - and my blushing actually told her that I had said something I didn't mean, and then I told him - NO NO - and pointed to my engagement ring.....and she laughed, he laughed and I wanted to crawl under a rock.
He said "She said to tell you thank you for a good laugh." And I said 'Please tell her I am sorry, I just wanted to say something ANYTHING in ARabic BUT THAT!" and they left laughing.
I wanted to die - and I'm not likely to live it down either - the lady in line said my blushing was so innocent and cute - and the manger said - All those people you speak to in foreign languages - maybe you should stick to English......lol
So when the Chinese guy came in last night and I said Hello and Thank you in English he asked me in broken English if I was feeling okay and why I wasn't speaking Chinese - and I didn't have the heart or the words to explain it. And Russian? The gal said that Hello sounds like Pikachu - I'm not even going there. lol
But I promise - NO MORE ARABIC.....lol.
So I'm at the register at the little dollar store (job #2) and a woman walks in with a pink shawl on her head. At first glance I thought it was her hair. Further inspection of her said to me she was perhaps foreign. I thought perhaps she was Arabian - and would later try to impress her with my spoken Arabian words. The only ones I ever learned.
I used to work for a man who was from UAE. His wife taught me how to say "I love my husband." because there was a prince from Kuwait that used to come in where I worked hell bent on taking me to a foreign land as a wife (no thank you). So I memorized it. It's the ONLY Arabic I know.
So I figured I would IMPRESS her with my knowledge of HER language. And as she and this man were conversing I asked where she was from and he said "Saudi Arabia. Why do you know other saudis?" and I said "No but I knew a man from UAE and a Kuwait prince wanted to marry me years ago. I even know a little ARabic." and I proceeded to impress this couple with Enta Habibi.....
Well - Here's a lesson we can all learn from kids - because her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. And me in my excitement thought it was because I had made her feel welcome and comfortable and I was trying to communicate....and I felt so good. And then he said something to her and she snapped back at first and then I said "DId I say something wrong?" and he was laughing and I'm standing there blinking....and he said "Enta Habibi means - HE is my LOVER."
WELL YOU CAN NOT POSSIBLY imagine the embarrassment I felt at that moment. Other customers in line were giggling, I was nearly as red as a tomato - and my blushing actually told her that I had said something I didn't mean, and then I told him - NO NO - and pointed to my engagement ring.....and she laughed, he laughed and I wanted to crawl under a rock.
He said "She said to tell you thank you for a good laugh." And I said 'Please tell her I am sorry, I just wanted to say something ANYTHING in ARabic BUT THAT!" and they left laughing.
I wanted to die - and I'm not likely to live it down either - the lady in line said my blushing was so innocent and cute - and the manger said - All those people you speak to in foreign languages - maybe you should stick to English......lol
So when the Chinese guy came in last night and I said Hello and Thank you in English he asked me in broken English if I was feeling okay and why I wasn't speaking Chinese - and I didn't have the heart or the words to explain it. And Russian? The gal said that Hello sounds like Pikachu - I'm not even going there. lol
But I promise - NO MORE ARABIC.....lol.