On the lighter side of life, cultural adaptation, ministry in a cross-cultural setting AND learning a new language, I thought it might be humorous to share some of my funny and embarrassing language blunders. A friend recently inspired me by sharing very openly about some his more embarrassing moments. That got me reflecting on some of my own humorous (and slightly embarrassing!) learning curves during the last four years since leaving Canada in August of 2008.
Here are just a few of the highlights from my personal blunder journal...what I SHOULD have said and what I actually said..enjoy!
Should have said: Tengo hambre (I'm hungry)...and what I said instead: Tengo hombre...which ACTUALLY means I have a man...um...that makes no sense at all but sure made my host mom laugh!
What I wanted to say: I have to buy soap for the shower (Tengo que comprar el jabon para ducharme)....& what I did say: Tengo que comprar JAMON para ducharme, which is: I need to buy ham for the shower. It wasn't just that I said it which made it funny but that it was accompanied by the washing gesture!!! That made it more funny. My host mom questioned me several times, you are going to shower with ham, are you sure? Of course, I repeatedly said yes, of course!...LOL...oh dear!
MANY times over the first few years, I referred to veca's (scholarships for theology students) as VACA, which is a cow. So we'd be talking about the vecas that were to be granted to our Seminary students and I kept saying vacas....I can see it now: NEW Seminary policy, all students are to be given a COW to help with their studies....haha!
Perhaps the funniest and most embarrasing of said blunders happened a few months ago while enjoying lunch with the pastors after our monthly meeting. The papas, or potatoes, in Peru are delicious and I wanted to say was that the potatoes are more delicious here because the farmer's don't use pesticides or preservatives. But INSTEAD I Said: Las papas peruanas son las mas ricas porque los campesinos no usan preservativos. Sounds the same right? WRONG!! What I said was: Peruvian potatoes are so much better because the farmers don't use pesticides or condoms....YEP, preservativos are condoms in Spanish ...and preservantes are preservatives...CARAMBA! The two pastors at my table turned and looked me and I immediately realized my mistake and turned BEET RED! They asked, "Pastora Fran, do you know what you just said?" Um, yes, that's not what I wanted to say at all, but it was all in good humor.
In reflecting on the years here in Peru, I can recount many more examples of experiences learning the Peruvian culture and traditions and the differences that made me feel uncomfortable and alien at times. Those of us who have lived cross-culturally understand as few others can how awkward these moments can be, but at least I can console myself by feeling that these learning curves and blunders have been more humorous than offensive. And my life is certainly richer for the blunders and learning curves, for all of the cultural difference and foreign experiences that have humbled me and which permit me, now, to admit my errors, to ask for help when it is needed, and to admit what I do not know or understand. It is a humility that is necessary to enter into any new experience or place whether we live in a foreign country or stay in our home town for all of our lives. God gifts us with this humility so that we can work together in God's kingdom and proclaim the Gospel to all nations and cultures, using all of our God-given talents and abilities with an openness and acceptance that can embrace the difference and the uncomfortable moments along the way, knowing that in Christ we are reconciled, no matter how BIG the blunder!
What a grace to be able to laugh at our errors, language or otherwise. This humility allows us to embrace the good, bad and ugly parts of our human experience. I remain humbly grateful for the wealth of experiences in this beautiful country that have taught me so much about myself, about my culture, about humility, about grace, about forgiveness, and about God's boundless love for each of us!
Wishing you all good laughter, joy and humility in the journey!
Pastora Fran.
