Today I went to an Indian Market to get Indian food. I felt like an idiot, because it was the first time I'd ever been to an Indian market since I was like twelve (I grew up around a lot of them), and I obviously had no idea what the hell I was doing 
. It's really stupid, isn't it? I mean, I've lived near the thing for years now, always wanted to try the food, and never went in because (drum roll).....I was afraid of not being able to pronounce the names of the food/stuff I was looking for :b (Skankar disc, Satyajitray movie's, etc.). It isn't like going into , say, a Mexican restraunt. Spanish, for example, is all over our culture, and everyone has to take it at some point in school. So, when I see "LL" or "~" above an "N" on a menu, I know to prounce it "yuh" or "nyu'. I don't butcher the lanauge completly and am therefore able to communicate with the shop owners. But with hindi/bengali? The words just get so Americanized, or honkiefied, or whatever, I was afraid to even try until today. ISN'T THAT RIDICULOUS?! The girl in the shop was really sweet and helpful (and hot 
) She had some awful mall store logo scralled across the front of her t-shirt. But this (singular and very last) time, I was actually glad to see it, because I knew it meant we could at least use sort of similar reference points to communicate. I wasn't afraid of her (or the older woman in the shop, who I take it was her mother), just afraid my own inability to effectivly communicate. Like, I did not want to say anything that sounded self conscious out of fear of sounding racist/moronic/nervous for no aparent reason, but I had to be self-conscious because I effectivtly felt helpless. I was giving them money, so it sort of would obligated them to be pancient with me if by chance we weren't able to communicate that well, but still...
Does not being able to commincate with people scare you? Have you ever avoided something due to that fear? When were some other times you couldn't comminicate w/others? (not just linguistically, but have you ever just felt like you were on on a completly differnt wave length than some else, interperpted the same words to me differnt things as some one else, etc.?)
. It's really stupid, isn't it? I mean, I've lived near the thing for years now, always wanted to try the food, and never went in because (drum roll).....I was afraid of not being able to pronounce the names of the food/stuff I was looking for :b (Skankar disc, Satyajitray movie's, etc.). It isn't like going into , say, a Mexican restraunt. Spanish, for example, is all over our culture, and everyone has to take it at some point in school. So, when I see "LL" or "~" above an "N" on a menu, I know to prounce it "yuh" or "nyu'. I don't butcher the lanauge completly and am therefore able to communicate with the shop owners. But with hindi/bengali? The words just get so Americanized, or honkiefied, or whatever, I was afraid to even try until today. ISN'T THAT RIDICULOUS?! The girl in the shop was really sweet and helpful (and hot ) She had some awful mall store logo scralled across the front of her t-shirt. But this (singular and very last) time, I was actually glad to see it, because I knew it meant we could at least use sort of similar reference points to communicate. I wasn't afraid of her (or the older woman in the shop, who I take it was her mother), just afraid my own inability to effectivly communicate. Like, I did not want to say anything that sounded self conscious out of fear of sounding racist/moronic/nervous for no aparent reason, but I had to be self-conscious because I effectivtly felt helpless. I was giving them money, so it sort of would obligated them to be pancient with me if by chance we weren't able to communicate that well, but still...
Does not being able to commincate with people scare you? Have you ever avoided something due to that fear? When were some other times you couldn't comminicate w/others? (not just linguistically, but have you ever just felt like you were on on a completly differnt wave length than some else, interperpted the same words to me differnt things as some one else, etc.?)
VIEW 6 of 6 COMMENTS
tuesday:
I actually know some one that works there, or she might not any more 'cause the last few times I've been Jennifer wasn't there. They all left last fall to go to musak, it was no loss. They were all burn out losers. I almost do go get a job there but it's a ways from my place and I make more at my current shit job. Besides, I would spend more money than I would make there. Vinyl addiction can get costly.
babybeezer:
I took 4 years of spanish and a year of italian and I can read and understand both pretty well, but when it comes to speaking I get all scared and feeze up. I dunno what it is about speaking that's so scary 