Had a good chuckle yesterday

Thanks for the laugh this morning! These are the moments that make my travels much more memorable. Hope you got the 'cat' you wanted!

A timely reminder that those who speak English as a second language often make funnies. The "assumption of charity" is important - most people are trying to help, albeit not perfectly

I speak basic, basic Spanish. I read more than I can understand - especially depending on the person's accent. I once had a person tell me, "Tienes un buen accento" - You have a good accent. Problem was I heard, "Tienes un buen asiento" - You have a good seat. I thought the person was complementing my hind quarters! I stared back with a furrowed brow. The person then broke out in English and complemented my accent. I fessed up to my confusion and we had a good laugh. The two words sound very similar when spoken!

@Paul - of course. The funny thing here is that, due my own language inadequacies, I almost got my (grey-blonde) hair dyed black with white spots. Now that would have been a good joke!

Coiffure moments provide some great memories. In 1975 while traveling in eastern Europe with my parents Mom decided to have her hair done in Bucharest. With no Romanian and much giggling we communicated with hand gestures, mime and my college Italian. The most I could do was repeat “Non troppo corto” ( Not too short) and hope for the best. When we picked her up a few hours later her hair looked great and the ladies in the salon and Mom were hugging and crying. Mom was in the last few months of her life and the women in the salon treated her like a queen. She in turn had given them every single piece of jewelry she was wearing. It was costume jewelry but Mom said they admired it so much she wanted them to have it. A memory I never intended but shall never forget. Looking back today it’s about all I remember of Bucharest and am happy to have that memory to cherish.

@ Two wandering nurses - nice one! I have something similar to relate but it is a bit ruder since it involves the two meanings of huevos.

@ denny - a beautiful memory indeed. Thanks for sharing.

I can imagine what would happen if your favorite cat is the Sphynx but wouldn't a Siamese look be fun?

Hi,
I have an analogous story. I was in Milan, and not speaking a word of Italian, on May 8, 2015 (I checked my journal) and was needing a haircut. I was walking down some unknown, main Street when I looked across the street and saw, in a second floor window, a large pair of scissors stenciled in black ink on a window.
I crossed, went up a flight of stairs, and pressed the buzzer on the exterior of a glass door. When a male came and opened the door, I said "Bongiorno," pointed to my hair, and said "hair cut?"

He replied in broken English "No, we're tailors."

I apologized profusely, felt enormously embarrassed, and walked away in shame.
But I've never forgotten it ....

John Adams, but a least you got a good story out of it. And so did they. 🙂

I’ve made so many blunders in language learning! It is part of the process. What a difference a few extra letters can make. One of my most memorable was telling some Spanish speaking friends about how scared I was riding with a particularly bad driver. I thought I was saying “ I was so scared, I was praying the entire way.” What I really said (much to their delight) “I was so scared, I was urinating the entire way.”

One of my most memorable was telling some Spanish speaking friends about how scared I was riding with a particularly bad driver. I thought I was saying “ I was so scared, I was praying the entire way.” What I really said (much to their delight) “I was so scared, I was urinating the entire way.”

Either way you effectively conveyed your sense of terror on that journey.

mark,

I can relate to your experience, as I've had haircuts in both Italy and Switzerland. I was able to manage in Italy with my basic Italian skills, and the cut was just what I wanted. However my experience in Switzerland was in a German-speaking area so that was more challenging. Fortunately the hotel I was staying in was just a few doors from the barber shop and the desk clerk was kind enough to come over and translate for me. The girls at the barber shop did a great job and I was really happy with the cut!