Once upon a time, when my family was driving the back roads of Pennsylvania, about two miles from our house, we spotted a goat running along the side of the road. Being new to the country life, having spent most of our time in a city with sidewalks and traffic lights, we didn't know what to do. So we kept driving.
Then we saw a man who, for lack of a better description, looked like he might own a goat. He gave off that "I can't find my goat" vibe. I doubt we could have distinguished between "I can't find my goat" and "Where did I park my tractor?" but what we lacked in country know-how we made up for in critical thinking skills.
My dad slowed the car, rolled down his window, and yelled to the man, "Hey... you lookin' for a goat?" Turns out we were right, and we pointed the man in the direction of his lost friend, and I choose to believe that they lived happily ever after.
The moral of the story is, sometimes we find ourselves saying something we never thought we would. Living in Mongolia, I've picked up a few phrases that I could not have anticipated.
"Maybe" ... because apparently this word can be used as an adjective? Example: The weather is ... maybe.. cold today.
"See you"... instead of "See you later"... I'm really trying to prevent this from becoming a habit.
"I need another snickers." In America I rarely ate candy bars, let alone considered them a meal substitute. But here, well, I am thinking about instating a 2 bar/week limit because sometimes I get carried away. For example, last night, in a NyQuil-induced haze, I ate.. maybe..two whole bars before realizing it.
"Do you have any toilet paper?" The bathrooms don't have TP in the stalls, so I always keep some in my purse. Usually, because I'm so prepared, I'm not the one asking this question, I'm the one answering with a smile and pulling a wad out of my bag for the person in need. I'm so selfless and humble, I know.
"Broccoli!!!!" I found broccoli at the market two days ago. It was super expensive, but it looked delicious. I brought it home, Ann cooked it, and we ate the fiberlicious stuff like it was our last meal on earth. Sometimes, after 2 months of meat and potatoes and rice, a girl just needs some greens.
"I don't understand." These words never, ever crossed my lips until I came here. Mainly because I'm incredibly intelligent and understand just about everything, and also because I'm generally too prideful to admit when I don't understand. But here, at least once a day, I have a conversation with someone that doesn't quite make sense. Maybe they are still learning English, maybe I don't quite get the context of the situation, maybe I'm overtired and my brain is short-circuiting. Whatever the case, I at least try and smile as I say it.
"Do we have any ice cream for my pancakes?" Yes, I've said this more than once.
"Yannaaa!" This is my favorite Mongolian word so far. I'm not sure how to spell it, but it sounds like that. It means "oops" or "how come?" For example, the power goes out just before I save my lesson plans for the week and all is lost? Yannaa! Or none of my students do their homework? Yannaa! It's kinda fun. Try it.
Now I'm just rambling. I guess my point is that adaptability is an important part of living in a foreign country. Or maybe my point is that language is an integral part of culture, and when we change cultures, our language changes, too. Or maybe I just wanted to say that if you ever see a goat walking down the street, don't be afraid to tell it's owner where you saw it. All it takes for a goat to run away is for good passersby to stay silent.
