Today I have done a lot, my training is finished, so I can sort of make sense of life again and live like a regular beligerent student. The only difference is that I can spend a little more freely now, and that makes me happy. I'm excited to be teaching again. I miss it.
The only thing that was bad today was that I was on the metro, being as depressed as every human being should be when the ride the same metro every day for two weeks the exact same route with people too close who are sometimes smelly and sometimes loud and who speak much better french than you ever will, when a man walked onto the metro car with his guitar. He said something in french which translated as something like, "Please, if you want to give me money for my singing, please do, especially if you like it, please give" and he began to sing bawdy italian songs and play his guitar.
Very, very loudly.
On the metro.
In my personal space.
I think I understand in big cities why some people get jaded. There's so much poverty, so much everything else that you can't deal with when you feel really tired, everything that's bad and sneaky and troublesome, and you can't be yourself in a big city without someone wanting to sell you what they have, whatever is it that they have. It's too much. You just want to hide from it all.
I was very tired.
I still am very tired.
Anyways, I will put up pictures later, but for now, I must go and prepare thanksgiving dinner. If I don't post until later this week, then Happy Thanksgiving.
4 comments:
mmm pumpkin pie
Good luck with the turkey, and the beggars. German is such a useful language that way, if wearing the trenchcoat and glaring that them doesn't prevent a request for money, then responding with something in German usually works. There's several ways it might make someone run away after asking for money.
If they have no idea what you are saying, German sounds harsh enough at the best of times ("Deine Augen sind so schön wie die Sterne im Himmel...") that saying anything is enough to scare someone off.
If they do understand that you are speaking an actual language, and were not simply trying to swear at and spit upon them at the same time, then generally in Europe (except in Germany naturally) the usual reflex is to think of jackbooted Nazis and their reputation for generosity. Such as offering to help various people govern their respective nations.
Finally, if the beggar actually does understand German, the fact that you just told them "Lauf ab, dumpfbacke!" is enough to get the point across.
So, learn German.
LOL.
I thought we already had this discussion about German! LOL. I will probably learn Dutch before German! =)
I think you should take joy in the guitar player. You might as well. Make it funny.
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