HI
by the time I post this I will have less 3 weeks to go. Although I could be driving myself crazy with things to do, reflecting on what the year has been to me, and preparing to get going again when I get home, my mind keeps wondering to simple things. I do think of some of the daily saying and small events that I really enjoy.
My tagalog's not great (at all) but I love lots about the language. It sounds nice and the phrases are catchy:
Heres some of my favs:
diba (kind of a filler, like "you think")
OK lang (means "OK" -hehe, bit of a personal joke from when I was first learning tagalog at home - lang means just)
na follows almost everything and it means already
when not using na you can use pa, meaning more like now or still
text na lang (text already just literally, but really it means text later)
Taas baba (up and down, the daily instructions I give patients) along with tayo upo
talagal - really!
Ano pa (what else)
Ano - what and also a frequently used filler
malamig - cold, I'm entertained by the concept of cold, like today after a little rain my coworker was cocerned I was biking home because it was malamig (likely only 27 or something), on the way home I stopped by the see a patient at his home and he was wearing a jacket because it was malimig!). Malamig almost always flows from my tunge when I talk about Canada! It's the first descriptor I use when someone asks.
mainit - more often used, hot!!
the following are really tagalog but I love hearing these
whatsurname (translates into what is your name, said very quickly because the child along the street feel compelled to ingage the a white person into a conversation even though I am whizzing by on a bike)
ma'am (I like being called ma'am especially by the children helping me sail)
sanjosesanjosesanjose (this actually sounds like a song. The man that helps to load the multi cabs in the evening often calls this out. San Jose is a district about 1/2 hour out of town. When I was first here, I was always amused at how persistent they were in trying to get me to got to San Jose (really no reason why I would go, usually just was going down the street a bit) anyways, in my amusement I often gave the man a big smile. Now he says sanjosesanjosesanjose, where you going and shakes my hand)
picture? (actually its pronounced very nicely kind of like pikchur? and the kids are usually asking if I'll take there picture or if I have their picture developed yet)
Most lunch times I just sit back and enjoy listening to conversation that I only understand the odd word.
Other things that I have been paying more attention to is listening to the birds in town on my way to work, I haven't always heard them, maybe I have been too busy getting to work without getting run over, trying to avoid direct sun, and just see all the newness of the place. (I've become immuned to hearing the rosters in the morning, I still see them but it's a sound that you don't think will ever just blend into nothing but it actually does. I do think that when I get home and no roster calls out, I'm going to hear the silence, and miss the rosters)
Some of the things I say regularly for work, that will not be so useful back home are:
sabi mo masakit (tell me if it hurts)
isa pa (one more)
pusod loob, matigas taas, (belly in and tighten up)
malakas (strong)
matankad (tall)
may tanong? (any questions?) - not that I can understand them if you asked the question back in tagalog!!
balik dito susnod ng lingo (come back next week)
bukas - sarado (open close, usually I'm gestering to open and close hand with these instructions)
magaling - good
konti lang magaling? (meaning are you a little better) or paracho (same)
well I could go on but I've probably board you enough!! with silly little things. Maybe when I get home I will have time to get deep and inspirational. Overall I'm refraining from getting too serious, because I don't want to miss the point of just having fun.
Well the pictures are very random!! and kind of old. I was going to use them for my now is the time reflecting poem but never got around to it. In the mean time it takes so long to upload pictures I don't want to delete them!! (except for the running one the pictures are of work and work mates/events...)
anyways you will see me soon!!
INGAT
