Se Me Perdio...
My gandparents are wonderful people. So wonderful that they bought me a new Kindle Fire before I left the states for Colombia. Of course, this was a huge blessing because it meant I had several pounds freed for bedding and clothes rather than ragged-edged books.I had unlimited access to the written word. For me, this is priceless. I carried it with me as a lost lover just being returned after decades of loneliness. Well, one fateful day I carried it with me and just as a lover´s embrace grows cold so did my affectionate responsibility for my gift. Frankly, I lost the sucker.
Now, I am well aware of my responsibilty to take care of the items I attach a value to. If you spoke with my mother she would uphold my belief that in usual behavior I am very responsible with the gifts entrusted to me.
I know this slip in judgement and care will haunt me everyday I want to throw away reality and leap into the fanatical world awaiting me in KindleWorld. I will berate myself for this lapse over and over again, at least in my English American voice. In my Spanish Colombian voice, I'll throw my hands in the air and say, ¨Se me perdio!¨or in translation...¨My Kindle lost me!¨
In Spanish Colombia voice I can cast off all responsibility to my Kindle.¨Ugh! Kindle, what were you thinking! How could you lose yourself from me?¨ I have to say, this voice allows me to claim ¨Tranquilo mood,¨much more quickly and easily.
With this understanding of such a simple phrase I am able to see a much wider cultural gap then I would have previously understood. When it becomes the responsibility of inarticulate things to not get lost or damaged, life for you becomes much less stressful. There are so many things you can cast out of your worries because they were never your responsibility in the first place.
¨Teacher, I forgot my homework,¨becomes ¨Teacher, my homework left me!¨ The responsibility lessens as the list goes on.
The twist in this tale comes in the package, ¨Dar papaya.¨ As much as forgetting or losing things isn´t your fault, getting robbed, raped or murdered is.
Öh your purse was stolen. Where were you? Did you flash your body around provocatively before that man was tempted beyond all means and had to rape you? What did you do to have 2 men approach you, put a knife up to your body and demand your things?¨
To my American English brain, it´s completely screwed up. To my freshly forming Spanish brain it sure does lift ALOT of responsibility.
