Tuesday, November 30, 2010

cele doua cuvinte

A few weeks ago this song was introduced to me (it's in Romanian, but the video below has English subtitles although you should really click this version as well, because that actual music video is pretty funny). I put it in my favorites on youtube and so since I'm usually listening to those songs on shuffle while I'm working on stuff, I've heard it a bunch of times. It's pretty catchy.



So being the language nerd that I am (and having this song stuck in my head pretty frequently), I decided to write some new lyrics to it while keeping some of the old. Forgive the bad grammar. And the rough translation. I'm still learning.

Sunt femeie, da eu sunt complicat
Nu sunt deloc simplu; ce-am in minte am s-in gura
Spun deschis tot ce gandesc, tot timpul
[the next three lines aren't finished]
[this one representing the second line]
[and the third--easier to follow along?]

Refren: Si sa stii ca eu
Eu incerc dar nu prea reusesc
Cred ca nu e specific femeiesc
Totusi, o sa-ncerc sa iti spun... [nimic! nothing! silence! aha]

Sunt femeie, nu sunt genetic structurat
Sa nu spun nimic. Adevarat.
Si sunt convins ca le fel s-a-ntamplat
Si cu aia dinaintea mea
Toti stramosii mei au avut de cusut, de spalat, de gatit
Puisor si varza, si mamaliga, numai cu cainele le-au vorbit
Pe scurt, la sfarsitul zilei: foarte multe cuvinte

Refren

Si nu-inteleg de ce nu-mi acorzi credit nici macar cat un TV
Care sa-l asculti chiar daca esti obosit
Pe bune, nu stii ce vrei. E suficiente sa te uite in ochii mei.

Refren

In the end: Bah, nu pot!! Buna, ce mai faci? Eu sunt bine, am mers la... ecc.

English version (rough):
I'm female, yes I'm complicated
I'm not at all simple; what's in my mind is in my mouth too
I speak openly about everything I think, all the time
[line one]
[line two]
[line three.. don't have them in english either]

Refrain
And you know that I
I try but I don't really succeed
I don't think it's specifically female (btw this line I have a hard time translating.. not so sure)
However, I'll try to say: [nothing! silence!]

I'm female, I'm not genetically structured
To not say anything. Truth!
And I'm convinced the same happened
With those before me (again not sure about the last two lines)
All my ancestors had to sew, to clean, to cook
Chicken and cabbage and mamaliga, with only the dog to talk to!
In short: there are so many words in my head!

Refrain

And I don't understand why you don't even give me as much credit as a TV
Which you'll listen to even if you're tired
Really, you don't know what you want! It's enough to look in my eyes.

Refrain

In the end: I can't! Heeeey, what's up? I'm good, today I went... etc.


Hope you have as much fun with this as I'm having!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

language-related musings

I was reading an article today and came across the Latin words imago dei. Most of you will probably already know this (I didn't), but it means "image of God." "Imago" surely means image. But ''dei"--something about it, maybe the ei in it, made me think of Romanian, of the way the genitive is formed.

And sure enough, just as an example, (a) god of hope is written (I think) "(un) dumnezeu sperantei."

This language has so much Latin influence. Perhaps this is another?

because i need constant reminding

**Just to correct it, I see I managed to write 4 instead of 14. It's 1 Cor. 16:14

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

quote-of-the-day

Thought this was interesting. Also a very American way of looking at it:

"
There is some serious mythmaking here to be sure, as Langewiesche pushes his thesis that the site "was a turbulent and quarrelsome place, it was also courageous and creative, an authentic piece of American ground." In other words, the work at Ground Zero was the most American of endeavors -- manly, improvisational and democratic to the core -- a place where a good idea and a penchant for self-sacrifice created a true, brute meritocracy."
--Paul McLeary in a review of American Ground, a book about the infrastructural side and clean-up of 9/11

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

the whole world

Just now, I was half asleep listening to a sermon from the church I'll be attending, and all of a sudden the pastor was saying (loudly and with fervor):

"Atat de mult a iubit Dumnezeu 'lumea'--nu 'biserica.'"

In other words, for God so loved the whole world, not just the church. It woke me up, got my attention. Lying here in my bed, listening to those words in a language that is not my own, I'm thinking about how beautiful a thing that is. And one day I will be in Romania because God loved the whole world, because he loved Egypt and Israel, the US and Romania.

I am reminded that it is not just the students of OSCEB I will be serving, but the campuses. There's so much in this and my mind is going so quickly now I doubt I'll be able to fall back asleep, but suddenly, despite the longing to be there, I am reminded of how deeply our God loves Romanian students and that is more even than enough.