🤰🏻I told the ice cream lady I was pregnant

Another Spanish misadventure plus: Suriname, cultural yawns, and a random thing to do in Zimbabwe

Hey there! Welcome back to Itchy Feet, my friend.

I’m Daniel, your skinny tour guide for the next 5 minutes.

Before we buckle our seatbelts, here’s last week’s post in case you missed it:

😵‍💫 This harsh travel reality took me years to accept

This week, let’s talk about messing up while speaking a different language.

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Photo by Irene Kredenets on Unsplash

One evening in 2012, I was in Cartagena, Colombia. 🇨🇴

It was a hot and humid. I was craving something cold.

A sweat desert sounded like a great idea, so I immediately searched for an ice cream shop.

At this time, my Spanish was still in its infant stage, meaning I couldn't speak in any actual sentences. 👼

My sweat tooth guided me to a shop. I got in line and anxiously waited my turn to order.

Finally, it was my time to shine with a fresh gringo accent.

I thought I was asking for chocolate, but my words sounded like silly putty. 

Nothing I said made sense to the woman who stood there.

I spoke as if marshmallows were stuck in my mouth.

In a flurry, I tried to say I felt embarrassed (which I was.)

However, I learned the hard (and funny) way that “ estoy embarazado” doesn’t mean "I'm embarrassed."

I’d just announced to her and everyone in the room that I was pregnant. 

After sweating bullets and awkward laughs, I finally got my coveted scoop of ice cream.

Scenarios like this can happen when you’re practicing a second language. 

I’ve made countless blunders in my journey to be fluent in Spanish.

Oddly enough, many of my mistakes were unintentional innuendos for my private parts.

The point is that making mistakes is part of the language-learning process.

You're going to mess up. A LOT.

Every time you try, you're putting yourself out there and taking a risk.

There’s a chance of rejection.

Only a few people have rejected me for trying to speak Spanish. Most will help you if you say something incorrectly.

In some cases, you even spark friendships.

In my experience, anyone who judges you for trying to speak their language probably can’t speak yours. 

Some great advice I read: Be ok with messing up now to be a lot better in the future. 

What about you? What kinds of language mistakes have you made?

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❇️ Travel quote of the week

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

-Nelson Mandela

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🤲 Fun world fact

Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America. However, it's arguably one of the most ethnically diverse. 🇸🇷

A former Dutch plantation colony, 25% of Suriname’s citizens are of Indian descent. 20% of the population are Maroons, descendants of escaped African slaves. 15% are Suriname Creole, while 15% are Javanese.

This curious mixture was due to slavery. After slavery was abolished in Suriname in 1863, companies stopped bringing in African slaves and contracted laborers from Asia (Java and India).

The city center in Paramaribo, the capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its beautiful Dutch colonial-style buildings.

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🎏 Culture Corner

Yawwwwnnnnn….🥱

Oops, sorry about that.

I promise I’m not bored!

Besides a sign of fatigue or boredom, I read that yawns have unique meanings across different cultures.

For example, in Mayan culture, yawning was a sign of subconscious sexual desires.

In Islam, it’s believed that a yawn is a sign of Satan entering the body. Sneezes are when he leaves.

This is similar to Indian culture, as yawns are how ‘bhuts’ or spirits can enter the body. It’s also possible your soul might try to escape your body when you yawn. Hence, covering your mouth is important!

During the bubonic plague in Europe in the 6th century, yawns were a sign that death from illness was coming. So, to defend against getting sick, people of the Catholic faith would make the sign of the Holy Cross each time they yawned.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) associates a yawn with an imbalance in your body’s vital energy.

In Western science, studies show our mirror neuron system activates when we see other people yawn. For this reason, yawns become contagious. This system takes time to develop and is a way we show empathy towards other people.

Also, there is scientific evidence that yawns can improve social bonds between humans and even other animal species like dogs!

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🌆 A random thing to do in Zimbabwe..

Explore the ruins of Great Zimbabwe near modern-day Masvingo. This medieval east-African city was constructed around the year 1,000 by the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. 🇿🇼

Evidence of Arabic, Chinese, and Persian goods were discovered here, indicating Great Zimbabwe was once a wealthy trade empire.

The Shona people who lived here mysteriously abandoned the city in the 15th century.

The ruins have walls over 30 feet high with massive rocks placed without mortar. The ruins became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

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Ok my friend, that was a fun 5-minute trip through Colombia, Suriname, and Zimbabwe!

Are your arms as tired from flying as mine? 🙃🦆

Thanks for your support, for reading, and for being who you are!

Happy Tuesday and see you again soon!

Much love,

-Daniel

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P.S. I’m really excited for my next post: A brand-new Traveler Spotlight with my friend Kent Johnson. He’s mastered the art of RV travel.