Arabically Speaking…

A female Arab visitor was looking for a patient and was speaking in Arabic. I knew right away that she doesn’t know how to speak in English (I tried but all I got was a blank stare). So there I stood, desperately trying to remember the right Arabic words to say. Then I said, “KAMSA ARBA?” The Arab woman’s face twisted. I was thinking, “what the hell did I just say?”

So I called for help and dragged a colleague who knows how to speak in Arabic. She asked me what I told her. I said, “Kamsa Arba.” Then she laughed hysterically.

Me: “Why? What did I say?”

Colleague: “You just counted in Arabic, ahahahaha!!!! You said, 5, 4…ahahahaha!!! You should’ve said, KAM GURFA (which room).”

Fine. They all just sound the same to me.

Hmp! I’m really good at embarrassing myself.

The Proud Visitor

March 30, 2006

Okay, time for a break. I remember something funny. When Lola (grandma) was still alive, she used to have a lot of visitors coming over our house. Lola was a teacher and almost every older person in our town had been her student. She was frequently visited by different persons young and old. Most of them Lola cannot remember anymore.

One particular old lady visited Lola one day and was so happy to see her. Even if Lola couldn’t remember her anymore, she would still entertain her. They talked about the past and how the people were doing. Since Lola has difficulty hearing, their conversation was so loud that we tend to hear every detail of their story. The old lady said something that must’ve been meant as a compliment only it sounded different. She said it in a very proud manner. She had to speak really loud so Lola would hear.

So, with her mouth directly in front of Lola’s ear, she said:  

“YOU KNOW? YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE ALIIIIVE. ALL OF YOUR CO-TEACHERS ARE DEEEAAAD!,” coupled with a hearty laugh and looking at Lola like she was a prized possession.

Ummm…? Thanks…?