English is dangerous

In Colombia it's pretty common to see people wearing shirts with English words and slogans on them. Usually the shirts say pretty stupid/innocuous things like 'less is more' or 'sexy princess' or '1976 SoCal Surfing Championship'. However, there have been some rather dandy examples of people sporting English embroidered attire without quite understanding what exactly their clothes say. Or maybe they do understand and are just to cool to care. Here are some of the best T-shirts I've seen:

1)I was crammed in a small truck-taxi-thing when a middle aged man wearing a blue and yellow polo got on. I couldn't see out of the truck's window, so the Gothic script on the man's shirt was the most interesting thing to catch my eye. When I realized the man's shirt said 'Waiting for my knight in shining armor' I decided I wouldn't embarrass the dude by translating for him.

2)A teenage kid was walking around with a shirt saying 'Party 'til you're homeless'...he probably knew what it said and I'm just jealous I don't have the same shirt.

3) There aren't a whole lot of obese people in Colombia...there are some 'fat' people, but it's rare to see extremely overweight people. If I learned anything from Mr. Johnson's AP English class, it's that it was 'coincidence' not 'irony' that the first obese Colombian I saw had a shirt which read 'Breakfast & Lunch Happy Hour.'

My mind is pretty much operating on surface level here in Colombia. I spend most of my time thinking about where I'm going to get my next cup of coffee...which is pretty easy because on any given street corner there is someone walking around with a thermos who will pour you a cup for about twenty cents. It's really harsh and is only mildly palatable when saturated with sugar.

Today I bought a cup from a woman who (in an almost incomprehensible Spanish) snarked at me, "Are you a gringo or something?" I told her I was, gave her the money, and walked away trying not to spill my coffee. Many Colombians often use the term 'gringo' to refer to any foreign person (or at least someone who appears to be from the US/Canada or Europe). This really pissed off the European girls I know, who don't want to be accused of being from the United States. It's also unsettling to some American people here, as we commonly understand the term 'gringo' to be an insult. However, based on the conversations I've had with Colombians in Bucaramanga, they don't understand the term to be offensive. It's just a word to describe a foreigner. I've even seen the word casually used in 'Semana', which is essentially the Colombian version of TIME Magazine. The only time I've had a problem with the word is when a high school student of mine called me a gringo in class. I think the real reason it bothered me was because I had already asked this student to quit using 'fuck', 'fuck you' and the N woid.

I really wish I had something deep and insightful to say. For the first time in a while I'm not in a pretentiously intellectual environment and my brain is responding accordingly. Most students here understand university education to be solely preparation for professional life. It's not too common to see literature or philosophy departments. I've gotten used to the subtle look of confusion on peoples' faces when I tell them I majored in 'religion'

Also! Welcome to the blog, Chynna. Even though you haven't made a post yet, you've contributed more than Calvin. Keep up the good work!