@ceorl

That's how we got to talking economics! When I asked about his understanding of the term, he talked about how it used to be possible for a household to survive on one income. That gave me a chance to talk about the long history of working women (throwing in some local flavour about a famous textile strike among women in the 1920s for better working conditions), and the rise of neoliberalism concurrent with changed tax burdens.

With a common enemy identified, solidarity became easy. :)

@MLClark
Well done!

So often the slogans, buzz-words, reductions get in the way.

Most people are ok once you shake a bit of the nonsense out of them :)

@ceorl

Aren't we all a little like household rugs that don't get the dirt aired out of them often enough? Mind you, some of us need more shaking out than others... but the principle holds across the board. 😅

@MLClark

Or like puppets, with many strings, and many masters.

I appreciate situations that force us to think for ourselves in the here and now, the sinking boat, you can help bail, or you can swim.

#TooManyMetaphors ;-)

@MLClark 3) answers the question I had as I read your post. Proud of you!

@MLClark
That is pretty darn impressive. For real. I am continually impressed by you!

I'm also trying to improve my Spanish, but last Sunday I had a discussion with a nice man from Venezuela in which I confused Window with Sales and quite possibly insulted his mother, I'm not sure about that part. He doesn't hate, me, I don't think? So... hooray! Baby steps.

@janallmac

Yay for trying! 🥳

Do you use mnemonic devices when you come across a word issue? I use these with my English students all the time: put two similar words in the same sentence to help train them on the difference.

Por ejemplo:

Las ventas de ventanas son muy buenas esta temporada.

The next time you mix up a word, try writing yourself a little mnemonic helper!

And of course, more tips & confidence-building lessons are possible w/ @Blue_Skyesr_here, our resident Spanish teacher. :)

@MLClark @Blue_Skyesr_here
That means.... (Trying to avoid Google Translate)

The window saleswomen were very good this time of year?

I have a few friends who are being very patient with me as I learn, and I am extremely grateful for them. I'm having to be braver than feels at all comfortable, so I'm glad they're patient with me.

@janallmac

Not quite, but I love what the error hints at, re: a stumbling block.

English isn't gendered the same way, so you're reading an extra component into the sentence. Literally:

The sales of the windows are very good this season.

Or,

Window sales are very good this season.

But it sounds like the issue of gendered nouns is causing a little mental "ah!" moment.

This is useful information to direct your studies going forward! Just takes a little time and exposure.

@Blue_Skyesr_here

@janallmac

Also, I'm sure @Blue_Skyesr_here could help with that discomfort issue, if you have the means to take a class or two with her, but I'm also going to speak from personal experience:

That discomfort? That sense of embarrassment when people don't understand us, or we get things wrong? That's what so many people who come to our countries feel all the time. It hurts, but it also builds empathy!

So you're growing in two ways at once, and showing others that you care! 🤗

Well done, you!

@MLClark @Blue_Skyesr_here
I got to talk to some people and said "Feliz Navidad!" which I was sure sounded like the dorkiest most white woman thing to say, but then we got in a whole conversation *IN SPANISH!!!!!* OMG FOR REAL about how they'd been here for 12 months and so it was a very Feliz Navidad for them, because they hadn't been able to be together for a long time.

It was awkward, and involved a little sign language, but it felt so good to connect with them that way.

@MLClark Also, Hi
Blue Skyesr! 👋
@Blue_Skyesr_here

@janallmac

Language is SO EMOTIONAL. We humans just want to connect. That's why it breaks our hearts when we can't be understood the way we want to. But you bridged the divide a little with people hungry to be seen, and that's beautiful.

@Blue_Skyesr_here is a Colombian Spanish speaker, so she can definitely get you closer to the accent of your Venezuelan friends.

I'll only suggest that you start practising the ñ in "año", because you don't want to wish people a "happy new anus" by accident!

@MLClark @Blue_Skyesr_here
😂 😂 😂 I don't even want to think about what I've probably said to people by accident. I'd be muy embarassado.

And yes, I know (now.) what embarassado means in Spanish.

@MLClark @Blue_Skyesr_here
That is exactly what I thought! I thought, oh, it is a girl window, so therefore must be a person.

That makes no sense whatsoever now that I type it out. 😬

But that's what I thought.

@janallmac @Blue_Skyesr_here

I love sourcing the reasons for why people make the errors they do. We are SMART COOKIES. We make mistakes for good reasons!

I'm hoping to write a book on learning English *just* for Spanish speakers, based on all the logical reasons for errors my students make.

You've given yourself great data today! You know your brain is still grappling with gender. I recommend making some lists of common nouns grouped by gender, to get more comfortable with the idea of them.

@janallmac @Blue_Skyesr_here

In fact, I challenge you to make one such list of 15-20 kitchen words or body parts this holiday. 😊 Write them down together when you find their translations, then manually separate them.

But be careful! Spanish is tricky! Some words that end with -a are masculine. Some words that end with -o are feminine. When you've split the lists, try to use the words in speech over the next week.

Good luck, & good on you for doing something hard that builds your community! ❤️

@MLClark @Blue_Skyesr_here
Oh! Kitchen words? I can do that. Las Cocinas? Verbas...

Ugh, gotta cheat and look up the word for words on Google Translate. Darnit. I knew that once.

I'm literally cooking-slash-posting right now.

@MLClark @Blue_Skyesr_here
Palabras! Los Palabras del Cucinas?

@janallmac

Las palabras para la cocina - words for the kitchen. :)

Start by jotting out 15-20 words you want to know how to say in Spanish! Then look them up. Google Translate isn't cheating, but it does have some limits (i.e., it can get things wrong, and it doesn't differentiate between regional Spanishes).

Happy cooking, you! Perfect timing! :)

@janallmac

Oh, and another site I find really helps is Context Reverso: it shows you the word in its context, next to a fully translated sentence in the other language. This is SO good for identifying when an expression doesn't have an easy translation, and for making sure you're using the right version of a word with multiple meanings.

Okay, back to work with me now - have a great evening!
https://context.reverso.net/traduccion/

@MLClark

I love your insight. You teach me.

@LnzyHou

Right back atcha. We all have experiences that make our communities richer in the telling. 🤗 Thank you for yours.

@MLClark
You are amazing! I sincerely appreciate you sharing these topics with us.

Also, just want you to know, I’ve been learning so much from your One Sky essays. I can’t thank you enough ❤️🙏🏼

@Esther

Marion! This was deeply kind of you, and tremendously fortifying as I try to wrap up the next few big articles.

I'm not just thankful that some of the essays have helped; I'm also thankful to have a reader who reminds me why I'm writing at all. Your kind attention motivates me to keep doing the best job I can with them - so thank *you* for keeping me honest and on point.

🤗 Happiest of weekends!
May this one find you wrapped in warmth and joy.

@MLClark
You are amazing. Big hugs to you.
(And I meant to write OnlySky and not One Sky)😉