Nicholas Cage: Ambassador to the World
The last three months (roughly, I haven't kept track of the days since we don't have American TV) has been something of a blur, but I've finally gotten into enough of a routine to catch my breath. So what's worth mentioning?
1. We met a guy on the street a few nights ago who was super friendly. Lemme see if I can recreate the exchange:
Guy: I don't like George Bush
Us: We don't either.
Guy: I like Osama Bin Laden.
Us: (awkward silence)
Guy: And Nicholas Cage.
Some people might think this was a pretty typical conversation in a foreign country, but I'd like to point out that this is the first and ONLY time I've heard someone say they like Nicholas Cage. Clearly this man's taste was severely compromised. Sure, you can bemoan the fact that Bin Laden is more popular than America's current president, but I think it's far more important to note that we clearly have a great untapped diplomatic resource in Nicholas Cage. And clearly this guy was forgiving enough about National Treasure 2 that he was willing to cut Mr. Cage some slack. So I think we have the beginnings of a new American system of diplomacy. The only forseeable downside being that giving irresponsible Hollywood stars diplomatic immunity could have dire consequences.
2. Mike ate a sandwich at KFC. It's probably the most beautiful and disgusting thing I've ever taken 53 pictures of. At the very least, it's a testament to how much Americans love their processed chicken. If each of us loved anything as wholly as Mike loved that sandwich, the world would be a far better place.
3. The word for meat is daging, which sounded a whole bunch like doggie when a waiter told me about the special of the day. My first reaction was pretty calm though. If figured, if they eat dog here, they'd at least know how to cook it well. And it was very tasty. But then he said it was meat, and after he confirmed that it was beef, I remembered that I was still in a Muslim country and dogs were pretty much the dirtiest animal this side of pigs.
4. Bahasa Melayu lessons have begun and are notable in two ways:
First, it's probably the easiest language that I've ever attempted to learn.
Second, it's probably the hardest way I've ever tried to learn a language. While there's no conjugation or tenses for the verbs, we have a revolving door system of teachers who have pretty much all come up with the same lesson for us to learn. It's like learning Malay in the the movie Groundhog Day. I amuse myself by taking matters into my own hands, and am now memorizing the entire contents of the dictionary, page by page. I'm up to Ai. In the process I've learned the words agam which is infinite, agama which is religion, or (belief in an infinite power), and the word for "evil genie" (afrit, for which my mnemonic was, "I'm so afrit of the evil genie, I wet myself"). Simply put, you have to love a language that would have so many run-ins with evil genies as to necessitate its own word. Afdal is also "the best," so Ellie drew a picture of the best evil genie, claiming as much (Saya afrit afdal - "I am the best evil genie."). It was epic.
That's about all I have for now. Until next time, please amuse yourselves with the following photos from our time in Kuala Lumpur.
-Ez
Album 1
Album 2
1. We met a guy on the street a few nights ago who was super friendly. Lemme see if I can recreate the exchange:
Guy: I don't like George Bush
Us: We don't either.
Guy: I like Osama Bin Laden.
Us: (awkward silence)
Guy: And Nicholas Cage.
Some people might think this was a pretty typical conversation in a foreign country, but I'd like to point out that this is the first and ONLY time I've heard someone say they like Nicholas Cage. Clearly this man's taste was severely compromised. Sure, you can bemoan the fact that Bin Laden is more popular than America's current president, but I think it's far more important to note that we clearly have a great untapped diplomatic resource in Nicholas Cage. And clearly this guy was forgiving enough about National Treasure 2 that he was willing to cut Mr. Cage some slack. So I think we have the beginnings of a new American system of diplomacy. The only forseeable downside being that giving irresponsible Hollywood stars diplomatic immunity could have dire consequences.2. Mike ate a sandwich at KFC. It's probably the most beautiful and disgusting thing I've ever taken 53 pictures of. At the very least, it's a testament to how much Americans love their processed chicken. If each of us loved anything as wholly as Mike loved that sandwich, the world would be a far better place.
3. The word for meat is daging, which sounded a whole bunch like doggie when a waiter told me about the special of the day. My first reaction was pretty calm though. If figured, if they eat dog here, they'd at least know how to cook it well. And it was very tasty. But then he said it was meat, and after he confirmed that it was beef, I remembered that I was still in a Muslim country and dogs were pretty much the dirtiest animal this side of pigs.
4. Bahasa Melayu lessons have begun and are notable in two ways:
First, it's probably the easiest language that I've ever attempted to learn.
Second, it's probably the hardest way I've ever tried to learn a language. While there's no conjugation or tenses for the verbs, we have a revolving door system of teachers who have pretty much all come up with the same lesson for us to learn. It's like learning Malay in the the movie Groundhog Day. I amuse myself by taking matters into my own hands, and am now memorizing the entire contents of the dictionary, page by page. I'm up to Ai. In the process I've learned the words agam which is infinite, agama which is religion, or (belief in an infinite power), and the word for "evil genie" (afrit, for which my mnemonic was, "I'm so afrit of the evil genie, I wet myself"). Simply put, you have to love a language that would have so many run-ins with evil genies as to necessitate its own word. Afdal is also "the best," so Ellie drew a picture of the best evil genie, claiming as much (Saya afrit afdal - "I am the best evil genie."). It was epic.
That's about all I have for now. Until next time, please amuse yourselves with the following photos from our time in Kuala Lumpur.
-Ez
Album 1
Album 2
Comments
-Kelly (Mike's girlfriend)