Surprised by Hindi

It’s not unusual for someone, upon meeting Varun, to say they know how to say something in Hindi. After a “Namaste” or “Shokria”, the conversation quickly switches to English. Varun is a good sport about it, laughing, encouraging practice and always eager to ask where people have been in India.

This weekend, we were at a Christian Missions conference. As we were chatting with a friend, a short, elderly gentleman approached us. We were introduced and told, “Stephen speaks Hindi”. Varun and I smiled at each other. The man before us looked scholarly, he held scrolls and books and wore spectacles. He wore a star of David pin and had a Hebrew pin on his blazer. I think we both doubted he would speak much Hindi.

And then he began speaking.

Our eyes bugged out of our heads as this kindly gentleman began speaking quickly in Hindi. Here’s what I heard*.

Stephen: Hello brother, how are you?

Varun: Good. How are you?

Stephen: Good. (something….) India….wife….years….

Varun: (smiles. Nods. looks mildly astonished)

Stephen: Where are you from in India?

Varun: New Delhi

Stephen: How long have you lived in Canada?

Stephen: 8 years.

KG: It is too cold here! Right? (Turns to me) Do you speak Hindi?

Me: A little.

Someone approached Stephen to whisk him away as he was, unbeknownst to us, the plenary speaker for the evening. As he was leaving, he gave us the nicest smile and promised to return. Our friend explained that the Stephen was a scholar and knew 12 languages. TWELVE languages!

Varun and I spent a good part of the car ride home giggling about how shocked we were when Stephen began  to speak Hindi. We also noted how quick we are to make guesses and judgments about people. It turns out his wife was raised in India by missionary parents and they had lived their together for a few years. His Hindi was fantastic. And inspiring.

I have been trying to learn Hindi. We’ve tried speaking it at home. I’ve taken lessons. And it’s all been good, really good. I know way more than I did even two years ago. But it’s fallen seriously by the wayside. Meeting this gentleman this weekend rekindled in me a desire to forge ahead in Hindi. After we move and the dust settles, I’m going to need to get serious about this. Who knows, maybe one of our new neighbors can teach me Hindi!

* (Let’s be honest, between the language confusion and it being 3 days ago, this conversation is something like what I heard)

Say what?

Recently, I have had some odd conversations. Perhaps I hang out with odd people, or perhaps I just find everything funny. I think the amount of traveling, cultures, countries and languages in our everyday life just make for hilarity and confusion.

Varun: Well, I never adjust my eyebrows (Pronounced “bros”, rhymes with “hose”).
Me: Yeah, well. Also, it’s eye”BROWS” (rhymes with “cows”).
Varun: That’s how we pronounce it in India. Bros. And this is an Indian household.
Me: HA! Well, this “Indian household” is in a Canadian country.
Varun: Yup. And nothing is “right” or “wrong” in Canada. It’s just “different”. Bros.
Me: (Exasperated laughter)

(While waiting for a wedding to start we were chatting with the guests in the pew behind us. The wife was born and raised in a small town near to mine, which was a surprise to me as I don’t often meet Pennsylvanians in Canada. Despite our geographically proximal upbringings, she had QUITE the SouthEastern PA accent. And worldview.)
New American Friend: Yeah, so this is my first time in Canada.
Me: Aww cool! Well, I hope you like it!
NAF: (smiles) But seriously. HOW do people live here?
Varun: Um? Pardon?
NAF: How do people LIVE here?
(Wedding processional begins)
Me: HUH? (Avoiding eye contact with Varun so as not to laugh loudly)
(As I turned in my seat I caught Varun’s eye and we both gulped down our laughter. Throughout the ceremony every time I glanced at Varun we had to struggle to maintain our composure. Unfortunately, we never got a chance to find out what exactly it is about Canada that had our new friends so baffled)

(At a pool party)
Friend: So what’s your last name?
Me: Rana. Crazy. I married an Indian and got a shorter last name!
Friend: What was your maiden name?
Me: (I stated my maiden name. It’s longer, and decidedly Irish)
Friend: Oh, so were you Indian growing up?
Me: HAHAHAH!! (Saw friend’s face: serious). HUH? What?

Random

Last night, Varun and I were standing next to each other looking in the mirror while brushing our teeth.

Me: Wow, we really are SO different. Black hair, blondish hair. Dark skin, light skin. Brown eyes, green eyes.
Varun: (continues brushing)
Me: Man, you have such nice, big eyes. I want bouri, bouri ankhein (What I mean to say was big, big eyes. What I said was brown, brown eyes. Bouri=brown, Bari=big.)
Varun: Well, I guess the eyes are always greener on the other side.
Me: Huh?…Oh. HAHAH! I meant big eyes, not brown eyes! I like my green eyes, especially since my kids won’t have them…*

*I’m not super at biology, but I think it’s impossible. Thoughts?
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In other news, I wish with all of my heart that this would happen in real life. Someday…