Two cents to fill up a car with gas in Venezuela. I could
not believe what I heard as I repeated back to him, “Do u mean two dollars a
gallon?” “No” he responds, “Two cents to fill your car.” I began scratching my
head and smiling as I normally do when I cannot believe an action or a
statement. “Your turn” Juan says as we play pool against two of his friends. Down
the whole game it was my turn to shoot after the previous turn Juan made two
back to back beyond lucky shots (since you shoot pool I assume they are shots).
I complete my turn and win us the game, no biggie.
Following our two on two pool game, Juan ran back to his
dorm, Milton Daniel, because he forgot some paper he needed. As he went back I
played pool with his friends, beating them as well (I really am not that great
at pool). I enjoyed myself playing against his friends as I was able to
understand a little more about their lives and how school is differently here
as opposed to in Venezuela. After I beat each person they left, almost as if it
were a tournament that we were playing. Almost as if we planned Juan’s arrival,
he entered the lower part of the Rec Center as I beat his other friend who
lives in Samuelson. It was time for the important game, Juan vs. Robbie, a
battle for the ages.
Ok so maybe a little exaggeration existed in that last
sentence, but the game did last an extremely long time. However that was the
result of our talking an inability to make our final two shots. As we played
the final game Juan asked me about my Spanish skills and I told him that I took
up to Spanish three so I can read the language decently well but my listening
ability lacked promise. He began talking to me in Spanish throughout the game
at random times asking if I understood what he said. Most of the time it resulted
in me saying something along the lines of you ran and did something with a cat.
Maybe that exact sentence didn’t happen but it got the point across. In
addition to improving my Spanish skills—just to throw this in because I failed
to mention it earlier, I always help him with how to say something in English
so there is a two way street—we talked about television shows. Currently Juan
is watching Prison Break, a fantastic, adrenaline rushing show filled with
drama, love and the pure genius of Michael Scofield. Last year I binged the show, watching every
episode over winter break thanks to the recommendation of my brother. The
conversation then developed into what he could watch and I gave him a few
suggestions such as Breaking Bad and How I Met Your Mother (He likes Charlie
Sheen in Two and a Half Men so he must love Barney Stinson). Eventually he beat
at pool as I scratched and made the eight ball in the wrong pocket on my final shot.
The more I talk to Juan, the more I realize how much we have
in common. Just as the game was ending he was talking about going to the
Laker-Maverick game to see Kobe play. Growing up in southern California I am
unfortunately a Laker fan (the past couple of seasons has brought me much
sadness). Juan also wonders about LA and California in general. He says he is
visiting at some point and wanted a suggestion of where to visit. Sadly based
off of what he wants to see, he needs to go to LA, Santa Barbara, and San Francisco.
Learning about Venezuela and rekindling my Spanish
abilities is always enjoyed when I hang out with Juan. The two of us really
know nothing about each other’s home area and so discussing how it is like and
what people do around there always is enlightening. I like hanging out with
Juan and I am sure we will hang out even after this class. I am hoping next
time we go to the gym, he always wants to lift with me. Sadly we just go at
different times.
My conversation partner is also from Venezuela, so I also have had the chance to encounter those jaw dropping realizations, like how much cheaper it would be to fill up my truck in Venezuela compared to the U.S. It’s also really cool that your buddy and you were able to learn language from each other; the best way to learn a language is really to experience it, like you did with Juan. I have yet to play pool with my buddy, Eduardo, but if my pool skills haven’t changed within the past year, I’m pretty confident I could beat Eduardo and any of his friends who wanted to take up a challenge. Eduardo, although from Venezuela, is incredibly fluent in English. This makes conversing much easier, but it also means I haven’t had the chance to build up my pre-existing Spanish speaking skills. It’s interesting to see how similar and how different our buddy experiences are.
ReplyDeleteIt was so smart of you to take him to do something fun like that, even though he beat you. I also think it was great that you talked about pop culture and topics like television shows. I'm sure that after long days of rigorous English and immersion into the culture he enjoyed learning about things he can do for fun. It is also great that you are able to learn language from him as well. I hope that you two continue to see each other and become closer friends. Maybe he could even visit you in California!
ReplyDeleteMy partner is also from Venezuela. I recommend you bring up the political mess that is occurring in their country. It is pretty incredible. The stories my partner has told me are both incredible and slightly scary. While yes he may pay 2 cents to fill his car, ask about the grocery store situation.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I think that it is so cool you are practicing your Spanish with Juan. Sadly, my spanish is not very good, so I cannot partake in this. While the program is designed for you to help him become more conversational, it is pretty cool that it can be a two-way street. You seem to have mastered this, but what is so important and most rewarding is just talking to our partners in the most conversational manor possible. Once you get past the first meal where it is a little bit awkward, you get to start doing fun things like playing pool with each other. I hope you continue hanging out with Juan!