So let's give this blogging regularly thing a go again.
When living in a country that is not your own and speaking a language that is also not your own.. funny stories happen. After telling this story to several people already, I think it's worth documenting.. it's definitely one for the books.
Generally I'm not the one that fills the car that I use with gas. The parents of the family that I live with take care of that. But yesterday on our way back from Gabi's piano lessons, I noticed that the car was on empty and knew it wouldn't last us for the rest of the day. So I thought, okay I'll just put 50 reais (currency here) in the car and later the parents can fill it up. I know how to do this because one time in the past, the mom left money and asked if I could fill the tank before taking the kids to school and told me that I just needed to tell them that I wanted 'gasolina completar'. I can do that easy enough.. and the last time it was no problem. And by now, I have the ability to communicate with people in Portuguese, if so if they don't understand one way I say something, I try and say it another way until they understand. So I wasn't worried about it.
So this time I pulled in and told the guy that came to our car (here you stay in your car and they have people who pump your gas for you) that I only wanted to put in 50 reais worth of gas and that I wanted 'gasolina completar' because I thought this was the type of gas. He then looked at me very confused and repeated back to me, 'but only 50 reais?' And I said, 'yes only 50 and gasolina completar.' This went on for a few minutes of the back and forth and we finally ended with.. 'okay so 50 reais only.' And I just said, 'yes please.'
I pay, leave, drop the kiddos off at school, and then go to school myself. Once I get to class, I immediately tell the story to my professor and ask him, 'what the heck?' (I was so confident in what I was saying, I was sure I hadn't made a mistake with my portuguese.)
He started laughing and then proceeded to tell me that when saying 'gasolina completar' I was telling him to 'fill the tank'..............
So.. I had been telling this poor guy. "I only want to put 50 reais in, and fill the tank please." Which clearly do not line up. (*here to fill a tank it would be over 100 reais)
And then proceeded to say it over and over. Well.. I'll never make that mistake again.
Lord help the foreigner and bless those who are patient enough to try and understand him.
When living in a country that is not your own and speaking a language that is also not your own.. funny stories happen. After telling this story to several people already, I think it's worth documenting.. it's definitely one for the books.
Generally I'm not the one that fills the car that I use with gas. The parents of the family that I live with take care of that. But yesterday on our way back from Gabi's piano lessons, I noticed that the car was on empty and knew it wouldn't last us for the rest of the day. So I thought, okay I'll just put 50 reais (currency here) in the car and later the parents can fill it up. I know how to do this because one time in the past, the mom left money and asked if I could fill the tank before taking the kids to school and told me that I just needed to tell them that I wanted 'gasolina completar'. I can do that easy enough.. and the last time it was no problem. And by now, I have the ability to communicate with people in Portuguese, if so if they don't understand one way I say something, I try and say it another way until they understand. So I wasn't worried about it.
So this time I pulled in and told the guy that came to our car (here you stay in your car and they have people who pump your gas for you) that I only wanted to put in 50 reais worth of gas and that I wanted 'gasolina completar' because I thought this was the type of gas. He then looked at me very confused and repeated back to me, 'but only 50 reais?' And I said, 'yes only 50 and gasolina completar.' This went on for a few minutes of the back and forth and we finally ended with.. 'okay so 50 reais only.' And I just said, 'yes please.'
I pay, leave, drop the kiddos off at school, and then go to school myself. Once I get to class, I immediately tell the story to my professor and ask him, 'what the heck?' (I was so confident in what I was saying, I was sure I hadn't made a mistake with my portuguese.)
He started laughing and then proceeded to tell me that when saying 'gasolina completar' I was telling him to 'fill the tank'..............
So.. I had been telling this poor guy. "I only want to put 50 reais in, and fill the tank please." Which clearly do not line up. (*here to fill a tank it would be over 100 reais)
And then proceeded to say it over and over. Well.. I'll never make that mistake again.
Lord help the foreigner and bless those who are patient enough to try and understand him.
