Sunday, November 28, 2010
Telephones, Remember?
The gossips in this country talk on their cell phones a lot. All the time. My host mother has two mobiles, one for each of the two most popular service providers. Seems like not 5 minutes passes without her getting a call or sending one. And when she is on the phone, but also in every conversation I overhear, one word that is repeated over and over is "pamiataiesh?" Which means, "Do you remember?" So I am always getting the impression that they are constantly telling each other stories about their shared experiences. Probably the word has some connotation that I'm not aware of which explains why it is so much more popular than its counterpart in English, but maybe it's just the style of discourse. Anyway, it strikes me. It is kind of neat to be surrounded by this storytelling style. Anyway, it's usually one of the few words I can pick out at native conversation speed.
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2 comments:
Indeed!
That's why I like eastern Europe in general--everything has a story involved, and people actually WANT to hear them. It seems to me that the American consciousness is too much involved with the future--pushing ahead, discovering things farther, faster. I suppose it has its benefits. But me, I dwell too much in the past to be part of tomorrow.
"I have reflected many times upon our rigid search. It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the past. It is always along the side of us, on the inside, looking out. Like you say, inside out. Jonathan, in this way, I will always be along the side of your life. And you will always be along the side of mine."
--Jonathan Safran Foer
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