(Sorry for the cliche) But Seriously: Lost in Translation

Let me explain a bit about my site. It is mostly Kazakh, so I stick out like a sore thumb... as a Russian. And since most of the people there speak Kazakh as their first language, they don't necessairly realize immediately that Russian is not (at all) my first language. So as I walked home from the center with a bag of eggs, a man stopped me and said:

"Where did you find a place with eggs? Most places are closed today [insert words I don't know here]" So I tried to answer the first part, and told him where I bought the eggs. He got a little angry and said.

"No! No! [Again, insert words I don't know]." So I said that I was very sorry, but I didn't understand. Then he was really mad. I'm not entirely sure, but I think maybe he thought I was trying to insult him by saying I didn't understand what I am sure is really very good Russian. "I AM ASKING YOU IN PLAIN RUSSIAN [and again, the words I don't understand, only louder]." Then his friend tapped him on the shoulder and told him that she isn't Russian, she is our American English teacher.

"American?" Then he bent over and laughed so loud and long that I could still hear him half a block away. "She isn't Russian! Ha! Ha!" That's a good one.


It's time for a vacation.

Right now I'm in the office in Almaty, looking through other blogs and I'm super-jealous of the new colors and designs people have. I'll have to look into making this blog look better when I get back. It's 9:15, 6 hours to go! I can't wait to see everyone/speak English in the streets!

Cab Gossip

There were five of us PCVs trying to get a taxi into the city, so I got into another cab with three men who had no idea why there were so many foreigners in their village. As I sat in the back, I couldn't help but listen to the converstaion...

Where do you think they were from?

I think they were speaking English.

Are you sure? I thought they were German.

I think they're American.

American?! What would Americans be doing here, stupid?