This post is going to jump around a bit. Forgive me.

I normally don't apply to these sorts of things, but... I'm going to apply for H&M's contest to go to Japan to represent H&M as a reporter for the new store opening in Ginza. I have nothing to lose and neither do you. You have to make a 30 second video and include 3 things: present yourself, reveal your best fashion tip, and say what you would ask to Tokyo's hottest fashionista. I'll post the potential video in a few days. Make a video too, you know you wanna. It'll be fun!

Languages fascinate me. Today, some customers were speaking Spanish and I could pick out pieces of what I remembered what I had learned in Montreal from Katimavik. "Spanish in Montreal?" you say. Si! I feel that Montreal is more lingually diverse than Toronto because of the primary usage of French and the wide-spread use of English. The immigrants that move to Quebec mostly speak French and their mother tongue, plus they pick up a little English along the way. The placement I worked at had an employee who was originally from Costa Rica. She could only speak Spanish and French. So, for teaching her a little English, I learned a little Spanish. It also helped that another Katima-participant wanted to learn Spanish too. We learned together and it was something that we bonded over. Donc, dans Montreal (je m'ennuyer mon clavier francais avec les accents) not only did I get to brush up on my French, I also got to pick up some Espanol (where the tilde accent when you need it?).

Back to the original point of my story. They were speaking Spanish and I was in the fitting room putting some stuff back and I heard that they wanted a black cardigan in medium (in Spanish). Before they could go out and get it, I brought it to them. Guess they weren't expecting that. It's funny, when you learn another language, you can tie the roots of that language and use it to translate other languages as well.

When I was studying Latin and Greek Poetry, I got to learn where the roots of words came from (thanks mostly to the Latin aspect, although I will never forget the PARACLAUSITHYRON!). It sounds nerdy to say it, but making connections to different languages is a fascinating thing for me. If I wasn't so set on Gerontology and a music career, I probably would take up Languages and translate at the UN or something. The beauty of music is that I can translate my own lyrics or something in the future, if I so desire. It'll be a good way to reach out to an international audience.

For lack of a better transition sentence, I'm going to go see a one woman comedy show tomorrow called "Alana Johnston The Show" at the Diesel Playhouse. I'm looking forward to going out and doing something instead of going straight home after work and practicing various skills.

On Sunday (potentially), there might be a Katima-reunion with some participants that I was in the same cluster with (if that sentence makes no sense, you can go find out what I'm talking about here. I didn't mention it in the post, but a cluster is 3 Katima-groups that are within geographic proximity of each other). It would be neat to see how much everyone has changed after the program, what people have done all summer, who misses making only $3 a day... good times.

No more jumping, I'm tired.

Categories: Life [t], H&M Contest [t], Work [t], Languages [t], Katimavik [t]

If you're using a PC, � is Alt+0241.
My friend Zanzibar and I used to speak to each other in Spanish and French. Well, more precisely, she spoke to me in French and I replied in Spanish. I'm a bit of a language nerd myself. I can understand my parents' mother tongues (Ilocano and Tagalog--dialects in the Philippines), I learned Spanish in high school, took a bit of Chinese (though I lost most of that regrettably), a little of Japanese (which I had to ultimately drop due to the time constraints related to my laboratory-intensive major), and German. I dabble with other languages, too, and if I find myself while at graduate school with no more classes left to take for my degree, I'll go back and learn something else.
» ranor on 2008-08-14 11:28:42

J'aime les langues!
I've only recently officially started learning French (last semester in school), but I've always had an interest in it.

After starting my french classes, I've discovered just how much I love languages and communication. It's all so fascinating! I'd like to some day learn German, because English is a germanic language, and it'd be fun to see where my native tongue evolved from.
For the past couple of years I've been fascinated with asian cultures, especially Japanese. I haven't learned much (except from what I've picked up from watching some anime. haha), but I've been wanting to learn some Japanese, too.


Ah! Now I'm all excited to go to school tomorrow. haha ^_^
» invisible on 2008-08-14 11:42:53

It is pretty neat to understand people... When I went to Maine there were some people speaking French in a shop and I sort of understood them. It was exciting. :P
» randomjunk on 2008-08-14 11:44:09

I'm using a Mac, so maybe it's &0241?
That's so cool. I used to know a bit of Tagalog when I was a child. My babysitter was Filipino and would teach me words and phrases while we'd eat dinner. I think that's where my love for fried rice and spring rolls comes from.

I learned my French in high school, became bi-lingual after Katimavik, a friend once tried to teach me German, and I'm currently studying Japanese.

There's no need to regret losing a language... it will come back if you immerse yourself in it. That's what happened to me in Montreal. You had to speak French for the 3 months while you lived with the group, and all of my French that I had not spoken in 3 years had come back, better than ever. Maybe you should watch the Olympics in Chinese and see how that goes. Just kidding, that would be insane.
» eroosterton on 2008-08-14 11:51:41

J'aime toi!
Don't you just love it when you can understand what people are saying even though they think that you don't understand? It feels like you're eavesdropping on some secret, when really it's just an everyday conversation that you would normally have in English.

Rock on for learning French in school. It's a good way to learn proper grammar and reading. Conversation learning happens best outside of a classroom though. Take your French to Quebec, Montreal, or Maine and use it! It's fun to make mistakes and express yourself in a different language. I'm glad you're excited to go to school tomorrow. Keep on learning!

I went to Maine once with my family. No French speaking there... but it does happen often that people will speak French at work, which means I get to use my French and sell things at the same time. It's a win for the company, me, and the customer!
» eroosterton on 2008-08-15 12:12:27

spanish language is very nice, but for me Asian, twisting the tongue is a challenge lol...

i self learn spanish, but got mix up with my japanese too.... spanish is a beautiful language to me, and my gaming pal was so shock when he use spanish on me and i translate it to him... he was like Damn how many languages do you actually know.... *grin*

well if u r taking in H&M... wish u luck :D
» jolenesiah on 2008-08-15 12:36:06

R:C
Closure. Like sutures for a wound. That's exactly what I need but there's very little chance I'll actually get it. I actually sent him a message a few months back. The ball's totally in his court, but I hope for my sake (how selfish of me) he takes the shot.

I actually don't know what I'll be doing next summer. Chances are I'll be staying in sunny San Diego, working on my Master's thesis research. Ah, the glamorous life of the grad student.

People around here (by "here," I mean nuTang, and NOT California) tend to know French. It's interesting, especially since everyone around here (this "here" is geographical, not digital) is more Spanish-oriented. I tried to find time in my schedule for French classes, but alas--not so.
» ranor on 2008-08-15 12:44:46

Spanish
Spanish is a beautiful and flowing language. I find Japanese is too but it's more rhythmic, kind of like speaking in Shakespearean English. The twisting of the tongue is also difficult for action figures apparently (go to 3:42 to see what I mean).

What learning materials do you use to learn your Spanish? I'm thinking of picking up that language after Japanese. That, and how many languages DO you know?

Thanks for the well wishes on H&M. We shall see how it goes.

Re:R:C: I hope he takes the shot too. It's no fun to be left hanging there, although not getting the ball back is its own form of closure as well. Only it's not as nice or satisfying.

Thesis work could be glamourous... if you were to do your thesis on celebrities and rehab. There's a lot of information out there for that. Do you have a topic in mind already?

It's surprising how many people know French. Is there an option in the school system that allows you to choose whether you want to learn French or Spanish? I know that when I was in High School you had to take one year of French and then you could take German if you wanted. I stuck it out with French until they cancelled my Grade 11 and 12 year because there wasn't enough interest. Yet German class only had 2 students? Total WTF. There's online French sites to learn from. It would be nice to get a credit for it, but if you desire to learn it, there's always a way.

» eroosterton on 2008-08-15 01:06:24

At my high school (at least when I went there), they offered Spanish, German, or French. Minimum requirement was two years of the same language, but many people go for three or four.

I actually just checked their website and now they offer two years of Chinese. Other high schools in the area offer Japanese as an option, and there was one school I briefly considered attending that offered Latin. That would have been fun to learn.
» ranor on 2008-08-15 04:01:33

Ah, I love words and roots and whatnot also.

An estate sale is like a garage sale, but also most of the furniture and items in the house are for sale. Usually when an old person dies or a person/family is trying to start over there lives and get rid of a bunch of crap. I'm looking for a desk and chairs and coat rack, so an estate sale is where I'm headed. Lol.

» bananaface on 2008-08-15 07:54:37

Ranor: Our highschool had rumors that it would teach Japanese, but I don't think it ever did. Anything to give those anime watching teens hope. I guess Japanese is more common for you since it is easier to get to than Toronto. I wanted to learn Latin in University but my parents just laughed at me and said that it was a dead language. Which is true, but I'd still like to know where words come from.

Hannah: Who doesn't love words and roots? Without them we'd be reduced to grunts and actions. A coat rack is a pretty random piece of furniture to go hunting for. Sounds like that estate sale is your best bet.
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