Being half-Korean often means being mistaken for another ethnicity. In my case, some people in the DC-Metro area think I'm Hispanic, and they'll start rattling off questions in Spanish to me. What complicates matters is that I do, in fact, speak a very small amount of Spanish (¡pero no puedo hacer el tiempo pasado!), and my reflexive reply-- usually in Spanish-- begins with, "I'm sorry, but my Spanish isn't very good..."
On Friday, after I'd performed a few errands, I stopped in Old Town Alexandria to drop off a deposit at my bank branch's ATM. While walking back to my car, a Hispanic gent in his pickup leaned out his window and asked me in Spanish, "How do I get to Route 1 from here?" I told him my Spanish wasn't very good (he simply took this in stride with a nod), then I said he needed to "go that way to go to Route 1, but if it's direct or not, I don't know." This was a question I could have handled with little trouble in English, French, or even Korean (my worst of the three languages I speak above a basic level), but I was caught off-guard and didn't have the vocabulary to give the man better directions. I feel for the guy: it sucks when a local citizen can only muster a "you gotta go that way." I've been on the receiving end of such directions before, so I know how it feels.
At the same time, it's weird to find myself suddenly (and only randomly) included in an ethnic brotherhood with which I have so little experience. I often wish I knew more Spanish.
_
Marathon
11 years ago
4 comments:
Kevin!
Long time no chat, droogie. Nice to hear you're back in the States.
I don't know what route you'll take through the U.S., but if you wander through the northern part of Illinois, I'll buy you dinner. I can promise at least one site of religious interest in town.
Mistaken for "his panic"? Whose fricking panic? And you're an English instructor!
So . . . I guess that this walk has got you scared.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
Movie Guy Steve,
Is this Steve H., a.k.a. Anus Burford? How's life, man?
Kevin
Aye, my friend. The studious and insipid Anus Burford at your service. I saw that your other blog went dormant and checked up on you here.
Drop me a line, oh Buddha-tastic one. And plan your route to cross through my territory. Or I'll hunt you down and staple your gonads to someone else's throat.
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