Sometimes I have no idea what is going on.
English Day has become another one of these things I am lost in, and it takes me at least four times to understand what is going on. Lots of schools in Colombia have English Days to celebrate English education, and ours is coming up in a few weeks. For the day, the English department is putting on a school play with the theme of alternative energy. English Day is combined with Technology and Expression subject areas this year.
A few English teachers wrote a play, in Spanish, and translated it to English this past week. They asked me some questions about the best way to translate certain expressions. Judy, the sixth grade teacher asked me, "What is an expression to say someone is getting gay?"... huh? I responded, "Judy, you can't get gay. It's kinda something you are or are not. You don't GET it. And what does this have to do with a school play!?"
After further explanation, leading to only more confusion, she showed me the expression they were trying to translate, "Mojar la canoa" Literally "to wet the canoe."
I was getting pretty offended that this weird idiom was even used in a SCHOOL PLAY where a boy was touching another boy's back to see if he was okay. When I suggested its inappropriateness, I got the familiar, "Maybe in the United States it is offensive, but not in Colombia." Yes in Colombia. To people of different sexual orientations in Colombia, it is still a hurtful joke. And it's not okay for teenagers to say in a SCHOOL PLAY. Humph.
Fellow gringa Tasha and I left the play rehearsal feeling pretty disturbed and decided to google the expression. The all-knowing internet translated the meaning and compared it to the expression "playing for another team." Well, that's certainly more light-hearted than "getting gay." I told the other teachers this expression and now this is the joke my two tenth graders get to crack to a crowd of students that will probably have no idea what's going on anyway.
And so, another Colombian lesson is learned. Sometimes things just really don't make sense. And things are excused as culture when sometimes they are just not. Do I pick every battle every time I hear more-than-slightly racist/sexist/homophobic statements made? No. Not every time. I hear these things often. It would be impossible. And more frustrating is my opinions are undercut by "cultural differences." I'm preaching the words of my ultra-sensitive, all-inclusive, always politically correct American culture. Oh how I wish the US was as good at being sensitive as we appear to be!
Some days more than others, things like language and culture get all gobbled up into a big sticky mess of miscommunication. It's not the sexy part of living abroad. It's the reality of learning from each other and living in new places. But my hope is that each small misunderstanding results in everyone gaining... or getting, if you will... a little more open mind.
English Day has become another one of these things I am lost in, and it takes me at least four times to understand what is going on. Lots of schools in Colombia have English Days to celebrate English education, and ours is coming up in a few weeks. For the day, the English department is putting on a school play with the theme of alternative energy. English Day is combined with Technology and Expression subject areas this year.
A few English teachers wrote a play, in Spanish, and translated it to English this past week. They asked me some questions about the best way to translate certain expressions. Judy, the sixth grade teacher asked me, "What is an expression to say someone is getting gay?"... huh? I responded, "Judy, you can't get gay. It's kinda something you are or are not. You don't GET it. And what does this have to do with a school play!?"
After further explanation, leading to only more confusion, she showed me the expression they were trying to translate, "Mojar la canoa" Literally "to wet the canoe."
I was getting pretty offended that this weird idiom was even used in a SCHOOL PLAY where a boy was touching another boy's back to see if he was okay. When I suggested its inappropriateness, I got the familiar, "Maybe in the United States it is offensive, but not in Colombia." Yes in Colombia. To people of different sexual orientations in Colombia, it is still a hurtful joke. And it's not okay for teenagers to say in a SCHOOL PLAY. Humph.
Fellow gringa Tasha and I left the play rehearsal feeling pretty disturbed and decided to google the expression. The all-knowing internet translated the meaning and compared it to the expression "playing for another team." Well, that's certainly more light-hearted than "getting gay." I told the other teachers this expression and now this is the joke my two tenth graders get to crack to a crowd of students that will probably have no idea what's going on anyway.
And so, another Colombian lesson is learned. Sometimes things just really don't make sense. And things are excused as culture when sometimes they are just not. Do I pick every battle every time I hear more-than-slightly racist/sexist/homophobic statements made? No. Not every time. I hear these things often. It would be impossible. And more frustrating is my opinions are undercut by "cultural differences." I'm preaching the words of my ultra-sensitive, all-inclusive, always politically correct American culture. Oh how I wish the US was as good at being sensitive as we appear to be!
Some days more than others, things like language and culture get all gobbled up into a big sticky mess of miscommunication. It's not the sexy part of living abroad. It's the reality of learning from each other and living in new places. But my hope is that each small misunderstanding results in everyone gaining... or getting, if you will... a little more open mind.
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