27 I was, and I thought it was a good idea to move to the other side of the world, the under side. Made some friends who kept looking at me and smiling, saying I should really meet a Spanish friend of theirs because we had so much in common: the way we looked, moved, same sense of humor, the way we laughed... But I never got around to meeting her.
Four years later, traveling through Argentina, the waterfalls. An older couple approached me. They didn't speak English, my Spanish was too limited so we settled on French. A bit surreal. They told me they were from Spain and had a daughter just like me. I told them I was traveling around the world. As I spoke I could see their faces light up, their daughter was traveling too and they missed her. All those similarities, even my voice sounded the same. They were reassured by seeing me happy and healthy, it was easier now for them, as if they'd had a glimpse of their daughter...
On my stop over in Chile the street sellers approached me in Spanish. If only I hadn't been so clumsy with numbers (their pesetas go by thousands at the time!) I could have gotten much lower prices, they tripled their price when 'converting' to dollars... I believe that in most countries tourists stick out like an alien species and are treated as such, so in Chile I didn't expect to blend in, such a long way from home.
Do you have any look-alike adventures?
With these experiences in mind I've been pondering to start gathering information from Spanish clinics. The first email has been sent! It would be nice to feel like fitting right in....
And it would be so nice if this kept the possible disappointment of Fof maybe not accepted as donor at bay. Somewhere in September we should know.
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I had a similar experience but opposite languages in Chile that you had in Argentina. I was having dinner with my host family and a Frenchman in town for business, and Spanish was both of our second languages (though we both spoke it quite well), and it was just cool to be in Chile, speaking Spanish with someone from France.
ReplyDeleteI hope you guys will be getting good news about Fof in September though.
O dear C, French would be my fourth language, high school only, constructing and translating, painfully slow. more communicating than speaking....
ReplyDeleteI've thought about it, and you know, I don't think I've ever been mistaken for someone else. No idea why this is. Maybe the marmalade-colour hair. ;) The JB though, looks like lots of people, to the point where I see one or two potential JBs approaching every time I am meeting him out somewhere. Bit odd.
ReplyDeleteWishing and hoping for you.
ReplyDeleteI don't look like anyone in particular, except one of my aunts (only I'm about half a foot taller than she is). Shame, really, as your stories were lovely. Would love to have some like that.