Last night I hung out with my
conversation partner Daniel. I had asked him if he wanted to meet some friends
and I at Proof, where I ran into Ted. He couldn’t get there in time but met
later on at my house before we went to a party down the street. It was good to
hang out with him in a relaxed, alcohol fueled scenario. Moreover, it was a
good time to introduce him to some slang words he will encounter amongst our
age group. He reciprocated, too, teaching me the Ecuadorian equivalent. For
example, the word lightweight came up. I explained this to him, and he told me
the expression he uses is cabeza de pollo (chickenhead), which I think more
accurately describes the concept.
Daniel got a good dose of American
college party culture. We taught him how to play flip cup and beer pong.
Needless to say, as the night progressed the alcohol did its job. I’m sure many
of you have whipped out your second language while drunk, and have found it so
much easier. Not to say a constant buzz is needed to learn a language, but it’s
nice sometimes to have those inhibitions knocked down and the tongue loosened.
Our drinking culture here in Tallahassee
doesn’t faze Daniel, which is more than I can say about my Middle Eastern
partners. Crazy how different people can be.
My Spanish is definitely way better around 1AM, while taking a break from the dance floor. Some of my Panamanian friends will look at me with a cocked head and squinted eyes, "Um, since when do YOU speak Spanish?"
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