How’s your Portuguese coming Jim?

It’s not easy picking up this totally new language. I attend language instruction classes twice a week at the local university. Classes are two hours long. My classmates come from China, Nigeria, England and South Africa. We are a motley group, each with our own story and level of urgency for learning to speak like a local.



Just the other day I was reminded that I have a long way to go. Zozó asked me if I had a battery she could borrow to test if a plastic toy worked. I had what she wanted, but to my horror I misspoke rather dramatically.

Rather than saying “recarregando” I said “recagando.”

I intended to say I had a rechargeable battery. What I said, however, was that I was re-shitting. Both she and her friend burst out laughing. They knew what I meant, but my mistaken choice of words had them snickering uncontrollably.



It’s not easy being green.