Lost in Translation

This evening I strolled downstairs to the hotel lounge by myself before work. And this is the Shangri-La so instead of imagining a smokey room with show tunes, imagine an expansive room with comfy elegant chairs, candles, 3 story high windows with a view of the garden, and an ever present ensemble of musicians on the balcony up above. Speakng of music the piano is currently rocking a masterful rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. I'm tempted to chime in after having sang it at Kareoke this weekend, "I'm just a little silohetto of a man, skadamusche skadamusche when you do the vandango, thunder bolts and lightning, very very frightening to meeeeee, tooo meeeee!"

There isn't much in terms of food or drink that you couldn't ascertain here in the lounge. Anyway, the waitress shows me to my seat and asks in a serious voice, would you like to try a liter of Vodka. All other points aside a seemingly odd question considering I asked for a table of one. Regardless a prime opportunity for a witty joke. So I say, "I wish, but I have to go to work in an hour". Nothing. Not a smirk, smile, raised eyebrow. Just an expressionless, "what the fuck are you talking about." In fact she kind of stood there waiting for an actual yes or no. She thought that meant I was pondering the idea of blacking out before heading in to the office.

Make no mistake, this is not a language barrier. She like everyone else at the Shangri-La speak fluent English. In fact most of the Filipinos I come in contact with speak fluent English. But there is just some disconnect. Here in the Philippines I am not witty, I am not funny, I am just a guy who makes odd comments that nobody understands.

Example number two. For the first time I got an extremely talkative masseusse. She was grilling me with a variety of questions. Somehow we got on the topic of movies. She could reel of the name of every blockbuster and the corresponding actors and actresses in each film. The key term in that last sentence is 'Blockbuster'. She asked me what movies I liked, so I said that I enjoy Indie films. Her response, "what's an Indie Film". My initial thoughts are no problem I can explain this. I tried a variety of angles and avenues, "well it's a film that is just more artsy than the movies you get here (blank stare)....um so it's a film that has better dialogue amongst the actors (blank stare)...each avenue was very much blocked. There is not a doubt in my mind that had I spent another hour on this topic, she would still have no idea what I was talking about. And this is someone who for all intensive purposes is fluent in English.

These little defeats definitely wear on me throughout the day. Not the end of the world of course. Just frustrating.