Con Permiso

"Con Permiso"
Daily i use this phrase, usually when i am crashing into people on the steet. The fault is always mine. The argentines know where they are going. It is me who is constantly second guessing myself, wondering if left is better than right, doubting my ability to even walk in a city as complex, complicated and confusing as Buenos Aires.

It is the same with the language. My mind and tounge constantly crash. My mind sees the word, hears it, understands it but my tounge second guesses itself. It does not believe it can move to produce those different sounds, the -sh sound, the r that comes from the tip of the tounge, the d and t that makes my mouth hurt when i try to say them.

And so I crash... a lot. But it is better than standing still.

Note: Argentines like to talk. They like to talk more than they like to be heard. The care more about what they are saying if there audience is paying attention. And often the audience is not because they are having their own conversations in their heads or with the person next to them. This is frustrating for a forienger who can't seem to get one word in the conversation. It is hard to practice the language when argentina won't let me.