Three Languages

On volcán Osorno.

When my parents came to Chile, I spoke three languages: English, Nepali, and Spanish. I translated a lot from Spanish to Nepali instead of to English even though I am far more fluent in English than Nepali. Shifting between Spanish and Nepali was easier because the two languages phonetically flow in a more similar manner, at least to me. For example, I could continue rolling my ''R'' when I switched from Spanish to Nepali.

Because English and Spanish are substantially more similar in their grammar and vocabulary, I have been guilty of trying to translate the exact word and not the idea. But a direct translation often doesn't work. For example, in English, "I am hungry" is generally used to express hunger, but in Spanish, it is "Yo tengo hambre" (I have hunger), not "Yo estoy hambriento" (I am hungry). 

My attempt at practicing Nepali in Chile.

I never explicitly learned Nepali grammar rules; therefore, I don't think about them when I speak Nepali or translate the language. The language is also so different that even if I knew the rules, I wouldn't even think about translating each word into Spanish the way native English speakers do with English. Instead, I would continue to translate chunks of thoughts, which makes for a much smoother translation.

Coming back to how to express hunger in different languages, in Nepali it is "Malai bhok lagyo'' (me to hunger happened). I am not at all confident that lagyo means "happened." But I know when and how to use the verb correctly, which is what properly grasping a language is about. Who would have thought being in Chile, more than 10,000 miles away from Nepal, would help me explore my native language?  
 

High-caste Hindus are not allowed to touch sheep
with long tails. Who knew?

I'm not sure how my parents communicated with Chileans here. They don't speak Spanish except for the few words they had managed to learn before and during their visit. Although my host family's English is better than my parents' Spanish, they can say only very basic things. Somehow the language gap didn't stop them from understanding each other. My host father took them on a tour of the campo when I was in school. While catching up with my parents, I found out that they learned more than I did about the campo on the tour. Another day, my mother cooked Nepali food for us at my host parents' house in a kitchen completly unfamiliar to her. She didn't know where anything was or how to ask for the cooking utensils and ingredients. But somehow she and my host mother were able to figure out what the other was saying to come up with a delicious meal.

 Only organic peanuts, please! I'm so picky about peanut butter
that I had my parents bring a jar from the US.

My host mom, a few days later, cooked cauliflower and rice, Nepali style. I was so touched that she made the effort to learn from my mother and make Nepali food! My host sister said that she liked this style of cauliflower more than the salad we usually have. Score! My host family also has been incredibly accommodating to my diet. At first I was worried that my being a vegetarian and somewhat of a health freak would be a nuisance to the family, but they seemed to have adjusted really well. In fact, my host mom told me recently that because of me, the family is eating more vegetables and she is trying to eat more healthy. Score again! This week, I was eating mantequilla de maní (peanut butter) for once when my host mom took some of it and made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So proud.