April of James 3 Years, Sydney 5 Years, and 2 adult mothers learning Spanish
From BilingualWiki
Contents |
April 2, 2007
Sydney's doing some translating for James. When people don't understand his English, she tells others what he's trying to say.
April 4, 2007
I said "tchau" to someone (who doesn't speak Portuguese) and James said, "Por que nao English, mamae?"
April 9, 2007
It was so amazing last night. Sydney, after bedtime stories, decide to read to us from her journal. She had little pink journal with a key that she writes in all the time. She writes looks and dashes and it looks like she's writing something, but it's jibberish. She told us a story while looking at the pages, though, that would have you think she was reading directly from the pages. She spoke as if reading a book. "And then the prince said, 'no, I cannot go'" except ALL in Portuguese. She's been mixing the language a bit lately but when "reading" to us, she didn't mix at all. The one time she did need a word ("pillow"), she pointed to her pillow and said, "isto" ("this"). It was a complicated story with big vocabulary words. The ending was a different spin on the typical fairy tale. The princess finally, after refusing to do so many times, kissed the frog under her bed. He turned into a prince. Then he kissed her back, and they both turned into frogs. It was so encouraging to hear her talking. After all the discouragement I'd faced with her mixing the languages and such and wondering if I'm wasting my time, it was just what I needed as assurance that this will help her, and that our time together is enriched together.
April 10, 2007
Last night we took Sydney to Target. She had wanted to buy a little diary with no lines on the page. So with her own money (she gets it for doing extra little chores or for her birthday from my grandfather or from my dad) she bought a little red spiral notebook. She hasn't let it out of sight since. Today in the car on the way home from school, she was telling me really good story about a flower than never died and if it died it came back to life. It never died because the lady who took care of her was perfect. The lady played with the flower every day. But then one day the woman who took care of her had a baby and the flower didn't like that because the flower didn't get to see the lady much since she was always with the baby. Then the woman remembered the flower and ran to see if it was still alive. (she didn't finish the story...I know you're on the edge of your seat so if she thinks up an ending, I'll be sure to let you know.)
Yesterday was amazing in that all of a sudden, James started to talk, alot, and we could actually understand. Stephen was amazed and asked, "What got this started?" He would say things like, "Where are you going to park daddy." Complete sentences very comprehensible whereas before, Sydney had to tell us what he was saying. I don't see the leap as much in Portuguese except that he is talking more. HE tends to say it first in English but when asked to say it in Portuguese he will.
This morning at breakfast, Sydney was talking aobut Snow White. They have the video in Portuguese where she's called, "Branca de Neve" stephen's been around with the video on. There's this serious voice when the bad lady asks who's the pretties in all the land that says loudly, "Branca de neve!" as if he's proclaiming, "Christ has risen!" Anyway Stephen said "Branca de Neve" in Portuguese with that same serious voice and James said, "You don't know say dat in English. My know just in Portuguese." So he's getting more and more conscious about which language he's speaking.
While I was typing this, Sydney came in the office and told me the rest of the flower story. So the flower was so mad about the baby that she left and went really really really far away. Then she was sad and wanted to go home but got lost. Finally she had to sleep beside a tree. Then she went home but the doors were locked. She got in through the window and started talking to the lady in the house who said, "I'm so glad you're back. But the baby's been asleep for 3 days!" The flower said, 'oh no' and went to the baby's room but there was no baby in the room. No baby anywhere. Then the flower heard the baby crying from the house next door. The flower understood that she was at the wrong house and went to the right house where the baby was and where the lady who took care of her lived.
That was the end of the story except for a little song that she made up that I can't remember right now. The song had nothing to do with the story.
She told me she couldn't finish the story earlier because she had to write it down and couldn't think of the story and write and talk at the same time. She has a page labeled, "SYDNEY ANN JERNIGAN" with scribble -like words just as she had for the story the other night in her other diary. She would tell some of the story, then hold up the page for James and me to see, as if there were an illustration of whta she'd just "read." I asked her if she was going to put in any illustrations and she said that no, just words.
One word Sydney trips up on is "toilet paper" (trips up in both English and Portuguese). She kept saying it to Stephen yesterday (because she was out and needed more). She called it "paper toilet." In Portuguese, it's "papel hygenico" so the "paper" part comes first. She asked me why it was one way with Englsih and the other way with Portuguese and I said it's like that alot, like how in Portuguese you say, "pessoa bonita" but it's the other way (beautiful person) in English. She pondered and said nothing.She tends to say the words "when" and "if" in English even when speaking portuguese. Sort of drives me crazy but whatever.
James has trouble remembering "really" in English. He says "muito" ("really") instead but all the other words in the sentence are in English. Stephen tells him, "really" but he can't seem to remember. I think maybe I use the word "muito" alot. Portuguese is just stronger, more emphatic in nature so it may be what I do without even being aware of it.
April 17, 2007
James has trouble switching from one language to the other. I noticed when I told him something in Portuguese for him to ask his father about, he looked at Stephen, started off in English, then just started speaking gibeldy gop and laughing. He really has been speaking in Portuguese to me lately. He loves to hear music in Portuguese and has one particular song that cracks him up. It's called, "I only want hot chocolate" and when the singer is asked if he'd like a cafezinho, he yells, "Nao chocolate!" James cracks up. If I try to listen to classical music he insists on "not that music" (these quotes all in Portuguese)
The encouragement to have the kids speak Portuguese between each other when I'm around is going surprizingly well.
This coming weekend we have a Brazilian guest staying with us for a project going on at Binkley Church. His name is Wellington and he's from the northeast where I lived for a year. He doesn't speak any English so it should be interesting to see the children interacting with him and to see Stephen too. Stephen-- when push comes to shove-- understands and speaks Portuguese. It just isn't something he feels comfortable with so he avoids it when he can. This weekend they'll be no avoiding it without being rude to our foreign guest.
April 17, 2007
Watching the kids at the playground, my friend Judy studied her Spanish verb flashcards. I asked what context they were learning them in (because they were just charts of verbs). She said they'd done a worksheet and that the teacher had asked questions in class using the verbs. She said it got "weird because she was asking us about stuff like what annoyed us about certain people." One lady listening said, "You could have just lied." But Judy said, "No, I was going to tell the truth." I mean, of course, why learn language that's not even real to you.
Yesterday I was in a consignment paying for my goods and left brief cell phone messages to Stephen then to the Stella, the Brazilian babysitter. After hearing the Portuguese one, the lady who owned the store asked, "So are you religious or something?" I thought she was kidding and cracked up. I said, "Like speaking in tongues? oh no!" Then I realized she was serious when she told me a friend of her spoke in tongues. I straightened up and told her it was Portuguese but that it's often mistaken for other languages. The last time someone guessed they said, "Russian? Japanese?"
April 19, 2007
Last night while I was teaching Portuguese, James asked Stephen where I was. Stephen told him and James told him that he needed to take my class (meaning the Portuguese one). Sydney cut in with, "But not the one at the YMCA!" (because sometimes I teach aerobics.
Got my student evaluations and they were really good. Only complaint was that they wanted more grammar. Odd, isn't it. So I can manage that. I love grammar, it's just usually what students don't want.
April 20, 2007
I think I mentioned I'm involved with this Brazilian group at my church. actually only 1 of us is Brazilian but we're working to help a shantytown in Salvador build a community center for impoverished youth. Anyway there's an Aliance meeting which has to do with more progressive Baptists (embracing homosexual members, working towards social justice), etc. So 2 Brazilians are here in Chapel Hill and the one who didn't speak any English, Celio, is housed here. He came last night after the kids were in bed and I left with the kids before he had a chance to interact with them. James is scared of him-- said to Stephen, "He's gonna bite me." Here I am thinking, "What a great opportunity for them to speak to a brazilian, but they fear he's some kind of feral animal.
He is an interesting fellow. Breaks out into song for no apparent reason. Luckily he had an AMAZING voice. Sounds like Caetano Veloso. Stephen's tryign to communicate in Portuguese with him and doing rather well. I think Stephen's embarrased to speak Portuguese around me.
I left this morning while he slept and when I got back, a guy from the church, Joshua (a former Portuguese I student of mine) was walking down my street. I asked him what was up and he'd taken the day off work to hang out with Celio. So we went inside. I was unsure what we were supposed to do exactly. James, I took to bed. The lady in charge of the weekend called and said that Celio was to be at a luncheon at Duke at a certain time. She said, "I'll call you back in 5 minutes, meanwhile don't let them leave until I talk to you." So when I told Celio this, he said, "What? Am i not a free man?" So he and Joshua went to Walmart to buy Ipods. Since their arrival at Walmart they have called me at least 3 times for me to translate for the guy at the Ipod section of Walmart or just for each other-- since Joshua's new to Portuguese and Celio talks 90 miles a minute.
Apparently Celio and the other Brazilians here are pastors. Our church is trying to form a relationship with this church and have given money to build a center for youth in an impoverished area.
Tonight we're having dinner together, should be interesting. Then tomorrow night is a big party for them with Brazilian martial arts/dance-- capoeiera, food, talks, etc. I'm serving as MC and as Celio's translator. One thing I notice about being the interpreter is that when something odd is said, the one interpreting gets the weird looks. Last night, Stephen told Celio about his website. It was late so Stephen said we could look at it tomorrow. Celio said emphatically, that no, you never know when the world might come to an end and if it comes to an end without his seeing the website, he'll have lost his chance. He said, but if we see the site tonight and then the world comes to an end, I can do some marketing for your site while I'm up there. He was so animated saying this that Stephen and the organizing lady both looked at me like, "So, what'd he say." I told them and was met with "You're a nut" looks. I felt like saying, "Hey, I think it's weird too, but don't kill the messenger.
I was in a women's clothing shop yesterday that was going out of business. There was just one big dressing room with mirrors propped against the call, women undressing in front of each other. Everyone heard me speaking to the kids and finally someone said, "I just have to ask, what language is that." I said, "I speak Portuguese to them." James piped up with, "And Daddy speak English." It was so adorable. He really gets it at age 3. Just amazing to me.
April 21, 2007
James still isn't crazy about Celio. Told Sydney he's a bad man and is still afraid he'll bite him.
Sydney's warming up though. She has a new fish named "Mister Mister" When she "introduced" Celio to him, she said his name is "Menino Menion" which translates to "boy boy."
April 22, 2007
I'm ready to have this Celio outa my house! Last night we had a dinner and he met my neighbor,Karen. She's single and very attractive. We had a drink wtih Stephen at my house then Joshua from church came to pick us up. We were already late and it was this dinner at a retirement home, where a table was reserved, steak dinner all ready to be served to us, wine, etc. An older couple who were missionaries in Brazil were treating us. Anyway, Celio didn't want to leave. I can't say I was very persuasive in getting him going, as I poured him a drink at his insistance. But it really was getting late. So finally our ride Joshua, said, "We have to go now!" So off we went.
Celio flirted with me from the moment we left the house until we got back into the car. I wasn't too worried because I knew it was harmless, but was a bit surprized. He kept talking about going out afterwards, but after the dinner we had to have this LONG meeting about the plans for the rest of the meeting. After that, we were all beat. Celio said he still wanted to go out and that I was now officially UNBrazilian for saying I'd go out and then changing my mind. HE said, "What about your neighbor, isn't she going out?" He had this gleam in his eye, I said, "Probably but you know, you are a married pastor." He responded, "My wife's not jealous." Whatever.
By that time I was ready to drop him at the nearest gas station (only rolling to a stop) and keep on drivin'. Instead I called my neighbor and asked if she was out with a group. She was so I said, "I'm coming with Celio." She said ok and let me know where to go. The friend driving just wanted to go home but I said, "Look, we'll let Celio get introduced to my neighbor's friends and then we'll go. He's close enough to my house to walk home or they can give him a ride." Then it hit me that Celio didn't speak a word of English so I said, exaperated, (in Portuguese) "Oh, no Celio, you don't speak a word of English". (I didn't know it at the time but he was clueless that I wasn't coming out with him, as was Karen). So he said that he knew some words, (imagine thick Brazilian accent) Thank you, excuse me, Ah, OOps." Great, that should really get him through the night. He said that maybe he couldn't haqve a political debate in Portuguese, but he could get by. So we pull up to the bar where my neighbors and her friends were and as we go in I say, 'Look, you'll meet these people, then I'm going home cause Joshua wants to and I'm tired too." He panics, "But I don't speak English!" I yelled, "That's what I was trying to tell you in the car!" So as I open the bar door he said, "So I'm just going to pretend I'm blind. Lead me" and he closes his eyes. So what am I supposed to do. I think if was borderline hysterical by that time because when I accententally let him run right into a table with 4 women. They looked irritated at first, but when they looked at him (he's objectively good looking I guess), there said, "Oh, no it's alright). I should have left him with them. We meet up with Karen and her friends and Celio is still playing Stevie Wonder. I went to the bathroom just to escape the whole situation. I would have walked home but I had on prissy shoes. When I came back, Karen had gotten the gist of the plan from Joshua and told me under her breath, "I'm not babysitting this guy." I pleaded, "No way!" So off we went home. Joshua exhausted, me frustrated and disillusioned, Celio ready to party.
James told me today for he first that he didn't like me. That he likes Daddy and Sydney but not me. The grammar for "to like" is a little tricky b/c it's so different from English. My first year students forever mess it up. So I was so impressed with his correct grammar that the blow of not-being-liked wasn't quite so tough. So, hey, yet another reason to teach your kids a second language. (Don't think I'll mention that one in "Amazing Benefits")
April 23, 2007
Weird day but the night was ok. I'm pooped. This writing is cathartic though. So Celio goes with us to a music festival this morning. My neighbor, Karen, and several other friends go too. He is like a slug, like that donkey on Winnie the Pooh the whole time. I asked if he was ok and he said he was lonely and couldn't communicate with anyone. I was doing my best to be available to translate for him, but he was so aloof, what was I supposed to say.
For lunch, I wanted to help him.He wanted "one of those sausages in bread." So we got him a hotdog with chili and the works. He looked at it disappointedly, like a kid who got the wrong flavor of ice cream, and said, "This is lunch?" When we sat to eat I tried to make conversation. "So, how is this festival different from ones in Brazil." He shrugged disinterested and said, "In Brazil if we were out in the sun like this we'd be at the beach." Ok, so I tried. Then the women in the group left them men with the kids and went to booth to get henna tatoos. Celio came with us. (Keep in mind that my hubby can communicate in Portuguese and my kids both speak it...by then both had warmed up to him). Anyway so he comes with us ladies and we're all excited about picking out our tatoos (juvenile, I know, but were were really caught up in the moment). THe ohter ladies were in line when we spotted the husband of a friend of mine. He was reporting on the festival (he's a reporter) and wanted to get a Brazilian's perspective. I'm thinking, "yeah, he's so damn representative." So I translate some but then realize I'm going to lose my place in line for Henna. So I move away about 5 feet to be with my girlfriends. I'm trying to decide with them which to get (there was a huge book of choices). Meanwhile Celio kept motioning me to come over to him and the reporter. I said, "No you two come over here." He woudn't move an inch. Then my friend's husband said, "Christine help us out here" and again I said, "I'm going to lose my place in line." Celio, with this sense of entitlement, kept saying for me to help him. I wanted to say, "If you need help, come to me, buddy, I'm not your interpreter, not paid a cent, I want a tatoo." Now that Im' writing this down, it sounds really stupid but at the moment I felt like I was being talked like to like a dog, "Heel, Rover." Got through the interview (doubt it was used in the story because it was boring). Got my tatoo and we finished the day with James and Sydney wanting to go home.
Karen looked so forlorn as she got in the backseat again with Celio. I thought, 'something's up." Later she told me he spent the whole festsival trying to tell her how beautiful she was and that he squished her all the way to and from the festival when there was plenty of room on the seat to sit comfortably apart. What do ya do?
That night we were having a welcome party for the 2 Brazilian pastors and Celio was supposed to speak and sing. It was still unsure who was to interpret for him. I'd said already that I didn't know how to interpret, had never done it, and preferred not to. I'd asked Celio just in case I was to interpret if he could let me know what he'd be talking about. He said he had no idea. The Brazilian who was playing the piano approached me and said that the other minister who spoke English could translate but it'd be better if I did it since I'm a natiev English speaker. Ok, whatever. I asked Celio again if he had any idea what he was going to say. Still no idea he said. I'm wonder where's the nearest rock and can crawl under.
So I was the MC for the night. When it came time for Celio, he came up and spoke as I stood with a mike translating for him. He didn't like simultaneous translation he told me after a few minutes (I was pretty proud I could even do that but apprently it bugged him). So he'd pause after a bit for me to translate. The problem was,
1. He talked so long and then cut me off if I didn't have time to say everything in Englsih. (I speak fast but, geez, that's hard to keep up). Also he'd use words we don't have that need some explanation but give me no time to explain
2. He kept turning his head away from me and I couldn't hear him or couldn't understand...I need to see people's lips moving to keep up completely.
At those times when I hadn't a clue what he'd said, "I'd just make up something that fit, like, "God is with us in this place" or whatever. Sometimes he said things that were SO OFF TOPIC that I didn't ever translate them. At one point he sang a 4 line song then asked me to interpret it. One his pause for me to do so, I said, "Celio would love for you all to be able to understand this beautiful song in his native language and it's such a shame this isn't possible." Not being trained as an interpreter, sometimes I just couldn't find the word in English though I understood what he'd said in Portuguese. At one point he talked about a termite tea. When it got to the termite part for me to translate, I look out at the audience and said, "What do you call those little bugs that eat the wood in your house." Several people called out "Termite" and we moved along. I'd never make it at the UN. We would end up at war or something.
The pianist was Brazilian and when it was all over, he said to me, "Good job on getting out of tranlating the song. No sure how you were supposed to do that when you didn't even have the words in Portuguese in front of you." another Brazilian friend found it great that I left out irrelevant information and congratuated me on keeping up with his ridiculously fast pace. She said I even did the movements he did, his gestures and that it was great. I'd considered it a huge failure so it was so good to hear this.
Must sleep
April 24, 2007
Took Celio to church. That morning before we left he kept breaking into song, so I think he's in a better mood. Get to church and luckily the man who'd had us for dinner spoke Portuguese and did the translating for Celio. Then the other Brazilian pastor spoke in English to the group. One of the people in the group asked me to translate so Celio would know what know what was said. So I sat by Celio whispering as softly as I could the Portuguese he could understand (FYI it was SO MUCH EASIER to go from English to Portuguese than it was like I did last night). Everyone in the room kept looking over at us like, "Please stop talking" but then they'd get the situation and smile. Then I can't even remember who approached me, but they said, "Celio is going to speak in the service, would you interpret?" I'd been told he wasn't going to speak. I said yes. I was very nervous to do so in front of the congregation especially I'd been less than stellar last night. But whatever. I sat on the front row in front of him as he spoke and could see his lips and hear everything so it was much easier. There were times when I had no idea what he'd just said. He would pause for the interpretation and I would just say "God spirit is moving in this place" or whatever seemed to go with what he'd previously said. God forgive me
April 25, 2007
So today I was working out and ran into Lena. She and I have been friends since I moved to the area. She's Brazilian, so much fun. We're starting up a Brazilian preschool together in the fall. Actually she'll be the director, I'm the "linguistic director."
She was at my church over the weekend because we're hoping to use the church's nursury as our preschool space. So she met Celio and took him to Southern Seasons. She said he was totally coming on to her. I told her about Karen and me and how he tried his lines on us too. She said, "Ele so queria transar neste fim de semana." ("He only wanted sex this weekend.)
Last night I took my students to Chamas and talked to my friend Vorakarn. He was astonished at the whole Celio story. "See, this is the reason I don't get into religion," he said shaking his head laughing. Frustrating. Should I talk to the other pastor that came with Celio (who must surely know something is up) and tell him what Celio's up to? I mean, what if he's using his position as a pastor to seduce young girls? He's in a place of power. A Bill Clinton among Monica Lewinskys. (Not that that was all his fault or that he deserved all the flack that followed). But power has to be contained. Hum...
April 26, 2007
Took my Portuguese students to Chamas last night as our last class. The service was so bad that I've decided to complain. Just inexcusable,especially when I give them plenty of notice we're coming, ensure they can meet our expectations, and come every semester with at least 10 people who've never come and would probably return if they were treated well.
We didn't have the 6 we need to do the conversation class. I could do fewer students but the price would rise from the $25 I quoted if having 6 students. Vorakarn came to dinner with us. When I told him about the group he asked, "So what's your motivation for doing this?" I'm not sure. Took a personality questionnaire on the Authentic Happiness site and down at the bottom of what I'm strong in lay "Knowing your Reasons for Actions." I know I like Portuguese. I do not want to teach Portuguese II at Durham Tech for several reasons (I know the reasons why I DON'T do things) and several people have asked for help. That's reason enough, I suppose.
April 27, 2007
For the last couple of days, I've helped watch Karen's kids. They are 4 and 7 and so sweet. Sometimes I just speak Portuguese to the 4 of them and then ask Sydney to translate. She does a good job and usually her translation is different from what I would say. I told her for example, "se quiserem sortete, tem que ter um bom comportamento" Translated literally this would be, (If you want ice cream, you have to have a good comportment" I would have transated it, "you have to be well behaved." but she said, "you have to have good manners." She'll probably be such a good translator, starting early in life.
April 30, 2007
I still see Mariana, the former foreign exchange student, at church from time to time. I could have killed Stephen because he didn't know this, but her high school's prom's this Saturday and she's really looking for a date. Not one but TWO guys haev called here for her and Stephen's only information to them was "Mariana doesn't live here anymore." She's put on alot of weight so finding a dress has been difficult as well. Her mom's sending some from Brazil for her to try on.
Today Karen, my neighbor was over. James came over to us with a blueberry granola bar. He asked me if he could have it and I said, in Portuguese, "you've already had two" (which he knew meant no). So he steps a foot over to Karen who assumes I've said ok, and gets help opening the packaging. He keeps peering over at me like, "Are you letting me get away with this." I just let it go b/c I thought it was funny that Karen let him do something I had JUST told him not to do. Sometimes it's like you can forget that you're speaking something nearly no one understands.
