Language Success Stories!

Recently I've had quite a few language success stories while out and about in the city. I must be starting to look like I belong since so many people random people are asking me questions/directions. So, while I'm sure the epic fail and foot-in-mouth stories are still to come, here's language success story time:

The River that runs through the middle of Oradea.

Sitting at the tram station waiting for the the tram to head all the way across town. I knew I would be on the tram for a while, so I had gotten out my iPod and headphones. I was also reading a book on said iPod via Kindle app. In other words: I was in my own little world, being quite the American! At some point I realized a lady was trying to talk to me, I popped out the earbuds to see what she was saying. The lady repeated her question, asking if the 3R tram had already come. I responded in my broken Romanian that no, it had not come yet. Then I apologized and told her I am still learning Romanian. She encouraged me that I was doing well. Then she asked if I was German. I told her I was actually American. I didn't know how to tell her that I do have German heritage and a very German last name. In the end I still felt good about being able to communicate with her.

Another time I was sitting on a bench in the park. A man was sitting on the other side of the bench and after a little while, he asked me a question. His speech was a bit muddled, I asked him to repeat what he said, but I still wasn't catching it. I tried the whole, I only speak a little Romanian excuse. He was persistent. After a moment or two he tried again. By this time I had caught of whiff of his breath which was definitely tinted with alcohol. He kept holding out his phone. Eventually, I figured out that he was waiting for his daughter, who was supposed to be coming on the tram. He wanted to call her and see where she was at. He asked me to find her name, Mihiela, in his phone so that he could call her. Once I figured out what he wanted I was able to find her name in the phone and help him out. He was very appreciative and after a couple more minutes, his daughter showed up. Pretty sure that understanding slurred Romanian bumps me up to a whole new level of understanding! (P.S. for all you worrisome types: I was in a very public, very safe place on a Sunday afternoon, no danger in this story for you to worry over!)

One evening I was walking along near the train station when a mother and daughter asked if I was from Oradea. Without really thinking, I responded "yes," since I do live here. They were looking for a hotel. I did happen to know the hotel they were seeking and was able to confirm that they were on the right path and just needed to keep going straight. In this instance, my response was so quick that I hardly realized what I was saying. Afterward, I was thinking: "Wait what did I say? Was that right? I guess so, cause they understood." They also asked if it was far away and I was able to assure them that it wasn't far. Sometimes I shock myself with my ability to respond in Romanian without translating in my head for EVERY word.

A couple days ago, when I was out in the Roma village that I visit a couple times a week, I was pleasantly surprised with how much Romanian I was speaking. There was a visitor from the States who only knew a couple words in Romanian as well as an American who just recently moved here and I found myself translating for them. I'm much more able to translate Romanian into English than the inverse. However, I was able to help them ask questions and get to know the people a little better. I was also having more conversations with the friends I'm making in the village. At one point I was talking with a mother and daughter about cats and dogs. They had some kittens and were eager to show me. However, I'm really a dog person. We were talking about the difference between cats and dogs and then I was telling them about the dog I used to have at home. The mother then responded that she had a little dog too. The daughter was instantly confused, asking: "What dog? Where? I jumped in saying that it was "imaginary"and we all had a good laugh. While this may seem like a simple moment, it carried great meaning for me. I often think of something funny I would like to add to a conversation, but don't know the right word, or just miss my moment while sorting out the "Romglish" in my head. So, this moment was encouraging for me. I was quick and able to beat someone to the punch, definite language success. I'm now adding cracking jokes into my list of Romanian language abilities (however, premature that may be.)