Listen To The Giant Pansy Complain

I want to take this opportunity to answer two of the most common questions that are asked of me and that I ask others who are traveling abroad. What is the hardest part and how is language learning going? I answer these together since question two falls under question one.

Let’s put together a top five list of the hardest things I have to deal with shall we.

Coming in at number five is my couch. It is among the hardest most uncomfortable pieces of indoor furniture I have ever sat and or napped on in my life in any part of the world. It has about a quarter inch of padding and each of the three sections has a slight dip in it which is supposed to conform to ones back side. The dip however just serves to make lying down even more uncomfortable than sitting. I have thrown a comforter over it which has served to quadruple the cush ratio but alas, still very hard.

Just ahead of my couch and coming in at number four is my bed. Matresses are very different here. They are more like a padded mat to lay on top of a box spring. I have stacked 4 in the middle of my bed which as given some cush value. I like a firm mattress, but this is a bit much. Bed very hard.

Number three is the lack of a proper napkin while eating. The most you get is a Kleenex. I never considered myself to be a complete slob while eating, but I obviously am here. The pile of tissue that is left in my wake after eating is always embarrassing compared to that of the locals who manage to get by with one and sometimes none. Staying clean while eating with chop sticks extremely hard.

Number two is language learning. Motivation to learn the language comes in stages for me. At first I was fired up. I needed to be able to survive. I have enough to survive now and the hours of repetitive drills have lost some luster. I have recently found a new motivation. Since I got my cell phone I have gotten several calls for someone who had the number before I did. This has been a source for much amusement. These conversations go on for sometimes well over a minute. In the U.S. a wrong number is a simple matter of, “I think you have the wrong number.” “Oh, sorry” “No, problem” click. That takes maybe 10 seconds. I am not sure what those who dial my number accidentally are waiting for, but I always hang up first. Perhaps they are giving me an impromptu lesson in the language, maybe whoever had the number before me was a prankster and they think it is just a joke, or perhaps they just find my voice funny as they always laugh when I talk. Anyway, my new motivation for learning language is so I can tell my callers that they have the wrong number and then carry on a conversation if they still refuse to hang up. My new language, really really very extremely to the 3rd power hard

Rounding out our list at number one is the lack of a schedule. I gave this a lot of thought and this is definitely the hardest part so far. I like a routine but routines do not so far exist here. I stated a couple of times yesterday that I never know what day it is and I have not seen a calendar that I can read in weeks. While it has been impossible to get in a rut thus far, always breaking new ground can be hard. No schedule = the hardest of all.

Please know that these are not complaints or whining just answers to commonly asked questions. O.K. for those of you who rolled your eyes at answers 5-3, perhaps I am just a, “Giant Pansy”.

Today’s ? for a smiley face and a giant A+ in red ink, What cartoon movie uses the term, “Giant Pansy” around 247 times?