Update on Snow!, and misc.

I have to say, I may have painted an inaccurate picture of snow in Arkansas. I hope no one thought that our weather is like that more often than not. Or that we shut down at the first sign of white stuff.

I think the issue of snow days is really that we are not used to this stuff. Those of us who live, or have lived in colder and wetter climates.......(.okay, colder, Arkansas is technically a rain-forest region, based on avg. annual rainfall), have seen snow and ice that would bring Arkansas to a screaming and painful halt. I have driven through snow that is deep enough to create "door angel wings", even on the freeway. Those in the North-east have seen ice and sleet that I can only imagine.

The major difference in shutting down a state is our preparation or lack thereof. We only see one or two bad storms a year, and sometimes they are not so bad. So we do not devote much of our energy or money to preparing for such an event. We devote more energy to flooding issues, or preparing for tornadoes. These are the weather events that we face. If people in NY had a tornado, Arkansans would laugh at how bad people freaked out. Here, we are the butt of any jokes related to school closures for a mere inch of snow or sleet.

Oh, well, in California they also do earthquake drills.


NOW TO SHARE A FUNNEIR THOUGHT!!

We had a great day at school today (Dec. 19), preparing to go home for the Christmas Holidays. As more and more students we called over the intercom, I noticed that the office staff started referring to the "new office". We have been renovating the school this year. More accurately, we have been renovating part of the old building. Last year we opened a new campus, but have worked and taught around construction. The construction is nearly over.

Something about the new office reminded me of some funny language mistakes I have heard, seen and made over the years. The Office has a sliding door, and talking about it with other teachers reminded me of my time in Switzerland.

:) When my missionary companion was transferred from my first area, he went to Germany, and the best way from our location was to take a ferry across the Bodensee (Lake Constance for us Anglos). We went together, because my new companion was coming on that ferry from another location. While riding the ferry back across the lake, one of the younger missionaries wanted to go inside. He stepped up to the door and pushed, and pushed, to no avail. Trying to stay "cool", he started to pull. And pull, and pull. Apparently finding this amusing, a small kid, probably 6-7 walked over, pointed to a sign and read outloud, "schieben"while SLIDING the door open for our flustered friend. :)

:) Another time, while working our way through a farming community, my companion and I had decided to work our language skills by including some weather-related comment in each conversation we started. It was my turn, and the old farmer that opened the door was very pleasant and patient. I introduced myself, and stating that I had come all the way from America to share an important message, I mentioned how much I liked the country, its beautiful mountains, the friendly people, and how green and lovely everything was. It was a pretty morning, with light clouds and a hanging fog that just seems to grip[ the trees, but in the sunlight is very stiking. People in Arkansas should be able to picture this. we have these mornings quite often.

I commented about the beautiful "mist" hanging in the trees, and immediately knew I had said something wrong. My comp started snickering, and the old farmer broke into a huge grin, and then they both started laughing as the man took me by the shoulders, walked me over to the corner of the farmhouse, and pointing down the side to the barn and the huge manure pile said (translated) "that right there, that's "mist"! :)

:) A later memory has to do with temperature. I was training a new missionary, and we had been invited to the Bishop's house for dinner. For those unfamiliar, Bishop is the title for the leader of our church congregations called wards. In other circles he would be called minister, priest, rabbi, etc.

Anyway, the Bishop had 3 children as I recall. 2 teenage daughters, and a preteen son. To set this up, I have to comment that the daughters were both rather good looking. I was talking with the Dad, and my comp was talking with the kids while mom finished putting things in bowls to bring out to the table. It was a warm day near the end of summer. All I remember is hearing my comp finish something with "ich bin sehr heiss".

The reaction was slow-motion and hilarious. Dad and I paused, then had to fight back the smiles. The daughters were turning a shade of beet-red and looking shocked. Brother was sucking air in like someone had punched him. Mom, who had come in the room at just the wrong moment, stopped in shock, dropped a plate of rolls, and looked like she was trying to decide whether or not to breathe.

The joke is that in German saying "Es ist mir warm" means (I'm in need of a cool breeze). "Ich bin heiss" translates essentially as (I'm really hot, ready to go, feeling frisky, etc.).

The two girls took a few weeks before they would really talk to my comp again. Mom never was quite as friendly as she had been. :)