When in Gualeguay, Argentina...

I stand in front of the class and answer one question after another as students ask me close variations of what I have only recently heard from the previous class. Once we have finished the initial ice breakers such as “What are you doing here?” and “Do you like the city?” a student calls out from the back “What do you think about Obama?” Another bold voice asks, “Is your school like the movie ‘American Pie’?” They are dying to know. Having such strong and alluring images of the United States through Hollywood movies and television series, they now have their chance to learn what they have all been asking themselves; “Is it really like that?”

I am in Gualeguay, Argentina, a city with a population of approximately 50,000 inhabitants that is located three hours north of Buenos Aires in the province of Entre Rios. I am here on a Fulbright scholarship to represent the United States and to work as an English teaching assistant in public schools. I see very quickly how my presence in this small city is a powerful means of fulfilling the program’s mission: to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Immediately upon witnessing their mixed feelings and perceptions about the United States, I know that I have a big task.

After visiting over forty classrooms and being stopped repeatedly in the street and at almost every store I enter, I conclude that I have to appear on television. I go to the local television station prepared for their curious and perplexed expressions. With a big smile, I do my routine of explaining why I am in their city, making sure they know that I like it very much. Then I explain that by hosting my own cultural television show, I can reach many more people while doing something both different and interesting. They laugh when I say my program will be called “Mateando con Amanda”, which in English means having yerba mate with Amanda. Yerba mate is a traditional drink that they share. It is made in a gourd filled with the yerba that is meant to be sipped through a metal straw. They pour hot water over the yerba and it gets passed to everyone in the room. It represents the sharing of conversations, friendship, and intimacy. For many foreigners, it represents the sharing of germs more than anything else and it can take some time to get used to.

I cannot think of a better image than that of me, a foreigner, with a yerba mate gourd prominently displayed on my television set while talking about our cultures and opening up conversations. The comical nature of it is exactly what I am seeking. I want people to feel comfortable and to break down any walls and barriers that there may be between us. I bring in guests for interviews; I have new cultural topics each week; I film my students or even people that I meet in the street for themed videos; I speak both Spanish and English and subtitle everything.

Soon after I have started my program, the nature of the people’s commentary I receive changes. One day, while I am waiting in line at the supermarket the woman behind me asks, “Are you the young woman on television? Do you really like yerba mate?” She then continues to tell me proudly, “I loved listening to you talk in English and I also read all the subtitles in English.” On another day a student thanks me for the conversation I have with the president of the local Rotary club about international exchanges. He explains that he is excited to learn about opportunities to study and live in other countries.

I immerse myself further into their culture by dancing in their summer Carnaval. The last night of Carnaval after I finish the ninety-minute parade for the seventh time, the announcer of our dance group stops me. “Amanda,” he says, “When I heard you were going to dance, I thought no, she can’t, this is our thing, she won’t know how. I didn’t think you could. But every night you danced, you were great. You showed me that you accept us and that you can be one of us, and I never thought that could happen. I never thought that one of you could become one of us”.

I remember his words very clearly, his look of gratitude and admiration, and the reassurance it gave me that I had done what I had set out to do. It was like finding buried treasure, but first we had to uncover many layers, and, in this case, the layers were our differences in customs, languages, expressions, views, and backgrounds. What we found was that underneath, we were the same.

Stay tuned for Part 2 in our July newsletter. 

My Bilingual Journey (Part 4)

By Kimberlee Thorne-Waintraub @ Small World Language Services

Once my boys and I arrived in the US in May 2012, little did I realize how many changes I was putting them through. Moreover, I had a non-English speaking teenage son who needed to start high school in just four months. That was a tall order, to say the least…

The first thing I did was find and enroll him in an intensive English school in Salt Lake City where he could take the “Trax” train (local public transportation built during the 2002 Olympics) from home to the downtown area every day on his own. His classmates consisted of students from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Italy, France and Colombia, just to name a few. He not only learned to communicate quite effectively in the four months he studied there, but also made some interesting acquaintances and even a few friends.

I was continually amused as I observed both my sons’ bilingualism unfolding before me. I recall specifically going to a department store and having my teenage son try on some dress pants. He told me “I think these need to cover my “uncles.” The fact that he should have said, “ankles” was beside the point. My son was communicating and we were all having a great time watching him assimilate the language.

As both my boys began school in August 2012, I won’t say that things went totally smooth, since I would be misrepresenting the reality. Truth be told, it was rough going, since it wasn’t just assimilating a new language, but a whole new way of life, different perspectives and their previous experiences and perceptions of how things were compared to the only life they knew in Argentina.

I also had my own personal struggles as I experienced reverse culture shock and felt disoriented back in my native country. Seventeen years of living abroad had changed me, molded me into a multifaceted person, but had alienated me from the American way of life in so many ways. I was also feeling like a “fish out of water”, since I couldn’t find my reference point or anyone who could truly relate to my experience.

Time went by and we all began to adapt to our new life in the US. One of the things I had to do was learn to drive a car again, since I hadn’t driven a car since I left the US in 1995. I think we’ve all had those nightmares of going back to high school in pajamas as an adult and having to repeat the same experience we didn’t even enjoy back then. I can honestly say that it was the way I felt. I was surrounded by high schoolers, many of whom were to share the same school as my teenage son, complete with videos from the 80’s. I felt like I’d fallen into a time warp, to say the least…

Luckily, my first grader was striving better than the rest of us, and due to his outgoing personality, he was making friends easily and had become the class clown. At the beginning, he struggled with mostly understanding what his instructions were, but as I’m presently writing this article, he has learned to read in English, has even brought his test scores up almost double, and isn’t that far behind the other classmates. I never cease to be amazed at how quickly young children can pick up a language and adapt to a new environment.

As I meet with both my sons’ teachers, their progress is visibly seen and I as a mother I feel fulfilled and can see how far we’ve come. They both have excelled and are doing fabulously in their new environment, thriving with new and exciting experiences every day.

My sons still have a ways to go before they feel completely integrated in their new US environment, but it’s a gradual process and something they have to experience for themselves. Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us and as the saying goes, “Nothing is as constant as change.” And if it weren’t for changes, none of us would learn all the lessons we need to for our own growth. It’s been a wonderful journey!

Azzurra Camoglio's Italian Translation of "Color Esperanza" by Diego Torres

"Il colore della speranza"

So quello che c'è nei tuoi occhi, mi basta guardarli

Sono stanchi di continuare a camminare

e camminare girando sempre in tondo

So che è possibile aprire le finestre

Far cambiare l'aria dipende da te

(Farlo) ti aiuterà, ne vale la pena ancora una volta

Ritornello

Sapere di essere in grado, desiderare di essere in grado (di)

lasciarsi alle spalle le paure, buttarle via

(e) pitturarsi il viso col colore della speranza

mettere alla prova il futuro con coraggio

Meglio perdere che non tentare mai

Meglio provare che smettere di provare

Anche se vedo che non è facile cominciare

So che si può ottenere l'impossibile

Che la tristezza un giorno se ne andrà

e che così anche la vita cambia e cambierà

Sentirai che la (tua) anima si libra in volo

per cantare ancora una volta

Meglio poter brillare

che limitarsi a cercare la luce del sole

Azzurra Camoglio

http://www.linkedin.com/in/azzurracamoglio

Andres Ureta's English translation of "Color Esperanza" by Diego Torres

"The color of hope"

I know what's on your eyes by just looking at them
I know you're tired of things not changing
As well as walking always in a circle

I know windows can be opened
Changing the air is up to you
It will help you, it's worth to give it a try once again

(Chorus)
Know it can be done, Want to make it happen
Wash all fears away, leave them out
Paint your face with the color of hope
Turn the future into what you want it to be, using the will of your heart

It's better to get lost rather than never set sail
It's better to try rather than stop trying
Still, you can see it's not easy to get started

I know impossible things can be achieved
I know sadness will leave us someday
And so it will be, life changes and it will change

You will feel your soul soaring
Wishing to sing once again

Shining by yourself is more valuable
Than just trying to see the sun

Andrés Ureta Cerda

English-Spanish Interpreter

Proz Certified PRO Translator

http://www.proz.com/profile/1113202

Telephone/WhatsApp: +56997522393

Skype ID: a_ureta

Blackberry PIN: 25FC2803

My Bilingual Journey (Part 3)

By Kimberlee Thorne-Waintraub @ Small World Language Services

After the main brunt of the 2001-2002 Argentine crisis blew over and we began to accept the circumstances and repercussions of a country where prices were unequivocally inflated (hyperinflation as it is commonly called) and staple items were commonly scarce and certain medicines completely out of stock for undetermined periods of time, we began to think about the future of our family and where we’d end up.

There was a small and shrinking community of English speaking expats living in Buenos Aires at the time, but since we lived in an area where not many foreigners lived, the chances of my family meeting and making friends with them wasn’t very high. Moreover, when you haven’t spoken a second language at home, you fall into a habit of not wanting or making the effort to start, unless it becomes a necessity or a way to socialize with other people.

Such was my case, as we weren’t afforded the opportunity to be able to do this, being distanced from these people. I was the only one who spoke English at home, a professional mom who had nobody to speak it to and even my own language was becoming corrupted and my English took on non-natural forms, having been influenced by Argentine Spanish.

I began to be concerned about my children not growing up learning my native language. After all, how do you explain to them and others like my family and friends, how I did not teach my own, while I worked teaching it and translating into it? I truly felt like a hypocrite and a negligent mother. Beyond that, they needed to know good English for their lives, in order to communicate with family and friends, have good future opportunities and thrive.

I began to ponder the meaning of ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and determined that due to my children’s lack of opportunity, English was going to be a foreign language for them.  On another note, the physical distance of Argentina between any other English-speaking region presented an extra challenge, as the only other dialects we would hear would be other Spanish speakers and Brazilians living there who spoke Portuguese. What to do?

Many years went by and personal circumstances caused drastic changes in the lives of my family. My Argentine husband suddenly passed away right before Christmas in 2011 and I suddenly became a young widow faced with the challenge of raising my two boys alone in a foreign country. It just wasn’t the same without my husband there, and I began to rethink what our family’s future held for us.

After much contemplation, I decided that I would take a much needed trip to the US to see my family and friends there. After all, too many years had gone by and it was time for a family reunion.

I took just one child with me, my 7 year old, and we stayed for about one month. It was a beautiful trip and very healing to say the least. But one of the most amazing things I observed was how quickly my son caught onto English. He’d never been formally taught by teachers, yet he was completely absorbing it, like a sponge.

He’d met my family for the first time and wanted to communicate. After one month, he had quite the extensive vocabulary and list of expressions that not only made me laugh as I was amused and entertained, but gave me great joy. Look at this list!

1. Let’s go.

2. Come on.

3. I am hungry.

4. You are fat / skinny.

5. Goodbye.

6. How are you?

7. I think so.

8. Table, house, chair, sofa, television, bicycle, bed, photo, walk, drink, eat, play, video games, milk, hamburger, potatoes, soda, Coca cola, Sprite, food, cereal, bread, pizza

9. Come play.

10. Stop it.

11. Ouch

12. Help

13. English

14. Computer, Internet

15. Dog

16. My turn

17. Shoes, shirt, pants, socks

18. Money

19. Swim

20. Run, walk, jump, climb

21. No way

22. Wii (video game system)

And last but not least, and my personal favorite:  “Careful, watch your fingers!”

I was floored by the amount of English my son had acquired in just one month. As you can see, he learned to eat, name clothing and play in his new tongue. And since his personality never exhibited much inhibition, this helped him to communicate freely, not caring how he expressed himself, but certainly able to get what he wanted and convey what he felt. It was incredible!

My quest to satisfy my desire for my children to be bilingual had begun. And boy was I the happiest mom ever! We always want what’s best for our kids, and my deep yearning for them to have the best opportunities in their lives had begun in a wonderful way.

I returned to Argentina, put my house on sale, and made plans for my boys and me to move to the US as soon as possible. The ASAP plan was exactly that, since it took me just 2 months to pack up our belongings, get on a plane and head to the US to live. Little did we know what exciting adventures awaited us there…

My son Dylan, riding his bike through his new neighborhood

Part 4 coming next month! Tune in.

My Bilingual Journey (Part 2)

By Kimberlee Thorne-Waintraub @ Small World Language Services

It was October 1995 in Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). I was newly wed to my very handsome Argentine prince and felt like I could conquer the world. Oddly enough though, when my husband asked me if I’d prefer to live in the US or Argentina, I felt strongly inclined to live and experience life there, so that’s where we headed to start our new life together as a couple.

I fondly recall my first years in Buenos Aires, Argentina when I call on my audiovisual memories of the telenovelas (soap operas) on national TV, as they truly became my language teachers, along with the vocabulary I learned from my Argentine family and English students that would help me decipher the mystique of living in a third world country characterized by a large influx of European immigrants containing sprinkles of many metropolitan cities around the world.

Those daily telenovelas featuring such talented actors as Andrea Del Boca, Thalia and other young Argentine actors in the wonderful series “Verano de ‘98” shaped my first years while living there and it was something to look forward to every day. Then we saw Pablo Echarri in Montecristo, a true “galan” in Argentine society. They taught me the inner workings of Latin culture, the historical significance of past events, the everyday drama with which the society lives and breathes, and I learned to appreciate the culture greatly while becoming part of the mainstream population myself somehow.

My Spanish music repertoire consisted of songs written and sung by Ricardo Montaner, Chayanne, Diego Torres, Eros Ramazotti, Ricky Martin, Thalia, Alejandro Lerner, Cristian Castro, Shakira, Los Abuelos de la Nada, among others.

Those first few years held very sweet memories for me and although we experienced trying times, we stuck together as a couple and extended family and somehow made it through...

In the meantime, I was building a very successful language business consisting of English classes, text revision and light translation and editing for some of my corporate clients.

Then I watched carefully as visible signs of an eroding economy began to appear (politically, economically and morally). 

Let me take you to December 2001, just a few months after the world-changing 9-11 occurred in the US. Argentina’s government declared default on its foreign loans and there was a coup and mass looting in the streets. I remember the image of Argentina’s president Fernando De la Rua leaving in a helicopter and going into hiding for the next few years, while we were ruled by five presidents within a one-year period of time. It seemed like the country was ungovernable and there was a lot of political unrest and uncertainty and even for many, a lack of hope and deep desperation became commonplace as unemployment grew and those who had the resources and chance to leave for “greener” pastures headed back to their home countries or left in droves for countries like the US, Spain and other European countries in search of better opportunities and employment. After all, many people had lost their lifetime savings when their foreign currency was devalued and turned into Argentine pesos and their savings were unrecoverable and seized by the banks, to be the turned into local money disguised as value, with such strange names as “patacones” and “Lecop”, among others.

Since good employment was scarce and any job became a luxury item (unemployed lawyers were even driving taxis during this time), the people who could invest in training did exactly that. My English classes got so in demand that I hardly stopped even to eat, and group classes grew in demand as not everyone could afford to take private classes at that time. My students were my pride and joy, and after the most critical wave of crisis blew over, I was thanked immensely for helping many obtain better jobs and opportunities and even received letters of gratitude from some who had gone on to “greener” pastures in other countries such as the US, Germany and Finland, which was difficult for me to see in many ways, since I’d become attached to them, and I confess that I had a secret longing and desire to return to my country as well...

There was a song that became very popular during that difficult time in Argentina. It was composed and sung by Diego Torres called “Color Esperanza”. In the midst of so much despair in the country, it truly was a godsend during a time when many had lost most of their hope. It became a type of national anthem that got many through a very desperate period of time in Argentine history.

Here are the lyrics: 

Sé que hay en tus ojos con solo mirar

Que estas cansado de andar y de andar

Y caminar girando siempre en un lugar

Sé que las ventanas se pueden abrir

Cambiar el aire depende de ti

Te ayudará, vale la pena una vez más

Estribillo (Chorus)

Saber que se puede, querer que se pueda

Quitarse los miedos, sacarlos afuera

Pintarse la cara color esperanza

Tentar al futuro con el corazón

Es mejor perderse que nunca embarcar

Mejor tentarse a dejar de intentar

Aunque ya ves que no es tan fácil empezar

Sé que lo imposible se puede lograr

Que la tristeza algún día se irá

Y así será la vida cambia y cambiará

Sentirás que el alma vuela

Por cantar una vez más

Vale más poder brillar

Que solo buscar ver el sol

For interested linguists reading this article, we’d like to extend a special invitation to translate this song and those who are successful in doing so will receive a special recognition in the February newsletter, including publishing their contact info in the next issue. We are proud to say that we have a very good readership among our newsletter subscribers, so this would be a good chance to do show off your translation skills.

Part 1 can be found on this same blog, and Part 3 of “My Bilingual Journey” will be coming soon!

Thanks for all your support throughout 2012 and for all you’ve meant to us.

Happy New Year from Small World Language Services!

Photos were taken on a recent trip to Park City, Utah

My Bilingual Journey (Part 1)

By Kimberlee Thorne-Waintraub @ Small World Language Services

My bilingual journey began as most Americans do in their attempt to learn a language, that is, during high school. Oh, I thought I was really a great Spanish speaker at the time… Little did I know however, that that my extremely limited “Mexican vocabulary and ‘Eres Tu’ music masterpiece” taught by gringos in the US was insufficient to carry on more than a 15 second conversation once I arrived several years later in Buenos Aires, Argentina on a volunteer experience for my church that would last 18 months. 

Rude was the awakening, since I realized I had to learn conversational or at a minimum, survival Spanish ASAP, and I’d just been put on a bus going from the main bus station in Buenos Aires headed to the middle of nowhere in a place called “Los Toldos” that I later learned was the hometown of the famous “Evita” that inspired the song, “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. 

To make matters worse, I was told by my peers that put me on that forsaken freezing and hole-filled bus on July 1, 1992 (which had to have been the coldest day of the year), that I needed to get off on the second to the last bus stop, and I didn’t even have the slightest clue how I was going to tell the bus driver where I was supposed to go. Without a doubt, I now chalk that experience up to being close to one of the longest and most terrifying days of my life.

Without any valid explanation of how it happened, I did arrive safely to that place and began to interact with the people. However, despite my constant study and practice, I was seriously struggling with the language and it was apparent to all those around me. I remember being forced to teach the people and thinking to myself, ‘Wow, I’d really nailed the Spanish that time’, only to have the people turn to my companion and ask her, “Now, can you tell me what she just said?” referring to my inability to communicate with the people in a way that they could understand. It was frustrating beyond belief, and often drove me to tears for the first 3 months of my stay in the midst of Eva Peron’s hometown…

Then a turn of fate suddenly happened. I was sent to a different area and was the only American to live among 4 other Spanish-speaking girls from different countries in Latin America, namely Argentina and Uruguay. They were so patient and loving with me that it all began to come together, and it seemed like in just one month my Spanish flourished and it suddenly clicked; I began to communicate and the people could finally understand me… Wow, what a difference it made to be able to express myself and be heard!

My first stay in Argentina lasted a year and a half and I had wonderful experiences with the people there. I learned how to speak Spanish fluently and communicate well with the people and thus was granted many other bilingual opportunities in the workplace after returning to the US. I attribute the experience of having been afforded the chance to immerse myself in the language by living there among the people and experiencing the culture firsthand. 

Let’s fast forward a bit into 1995. I fell in love with, married an Argentine man and moved there, thinking I’d be there for just a few years and then I’d move back to the states again. That didn’t exactly happen. My second stay lasted 17 years. For more on this story, see the next SWLS letter in November, when Part 2 of this saga continues…