Goff: "Marcelo Gallardo gets his own day: tomorrow at the National Press Club. The deal is done." http://npc.press.org/index.cfm?theday=29&&themonth=1&&theyear=2008 DCU has The First Amendment Room at Noon. Doug Hicks is the contact. Will there be a Barra presence there can we even get in? I would be happy to take a long lunch, but my Spanish is non-existant I know...damn Gringos. I thought a Barra scarf or jersey would be a nice welcome. Other ideas?
i hadn't planned on going but was driving along the gw parkway just before noon and thought i'd wing it got a spot at const. and 15th, and jogged to the building. no one asked me who i was or anything. they let me right in. i stood in the back. wished i had on some barra or united gear. i had on a black shirt so i guess that worked. the conference was cool. never been to anything like that. lots of cameras and reporters from fox 5 to univision to wtop and i think i recognized goff. gallardo was in the center of a long table with chang and other owner to his right and tommy and his crew to the other side. they did bilingual questions and then there was a jersey presentation. after that it was one on one. i waited it out till all the press had time with him and then introduced myself on behalf of the barra. said welcome to dc and he said "a la barra brava " i had grabbed a barra sticker from my glove box (do people even put gloves in those things? they need to be renamed) and gave it to him. i said it was a little gift from us and that was all i had. told him he would hear us and feel us at the games. everyone was eating too. i should totally have grabbed some soup, sandwich, coffe, or a drink. i felt i shouldnt so i left on an empty stomach. i was also next to all the team owners/execs while they made their lunch plans. i wanted to ask if i could tag along too and i was trying not to eaves drop but they were next to me and they were talking business about stuff. checking pdas and stuff. there was one person with a dc or barra scarf in the back row but i didn't recognize him. it was fun to be a fly on the wall today. wish i had brought the camera
Just repped you, man. Well done, and brilliant about thinking to bring the sticker with you. Now, is anyone going down to the Wizards game tonight? According to Goff, Olsen has arranged a Wizards party for the whole team. Being in Boston, as I am, I'm not.
I was the barra in the back row. Had to run back to work before the press finished up. I wish I had been able to stay (and speak spanish...).
If there actually is anyone in the barra under the age of 25 take note... Don't sleep through your god damn high school Spanish classes. It turns out that actually WAS important.
So here's me, with two years each of high school Latin and French, followed by three years of college French (and French conversation classes at the US Embassy in Turkey--yeah, go figure that)... Who the hell knew? Clearly not me. That's OK. I'm retiring soon, and my primary objective is to learn Spanish, including going to those in-country immersion classes. Problem there is what country? It's not like everyone speaks the same Spanish. Like, is 'll' pronounced with a 'ya', like I've always thought, or a 'sh'? I mean, it's not La Josha, California.
Shame the Italians no longer speak it you could be a huge Juventus fan... Always Paris St. Germ... Congratulations. No but the majority speak a Spanish OTHER then "Spanish-Spanish..." It ain't rocket science big guy. You just get to skip the vosotros and learn how to roll a few more r's or lack there of... Talk to Chico... I am still trying to figure out the Z's in BARRA...
Immersion is the way to go. A couple of thoughts: Iberian Spanish used to sound very gay to me until a girlfriend explained that I should consider it like how a British accent differs from 'American'. In most places in South America you'll find lots of swallowed/mumbled consonants. Peruvians, at least limenos IMO, enunciate best, followed by Mexico's urban denizens. Fact is, you'll be able to communcate in whichever 'dialect' you choose. Heck, it will give more content to the languid conversations in Spanish you are likely to have if you need to literally describe what you intend to say! Two other things to keep in mind: 1. Be careful with idiomatic expressions. They can mean a completely opposite thing in a place other than where you learned it (an intended compliment could turn into a crude expression), and 2. Nouns for fruits and vegetables are usually unique to the particular culture in which you are immersed, i.e., an on-point reference in Chile might draw a blank stare in Mexico. When in doubt, buy a round of coffees, aguitas or whiskey! GM
True. "Jugo de china" in Puerto Rico is like asking for "mandarins" instead of "oranges. Just watch a lot of Telefutura. Especially "Quien Dice La Gente?" I'm surprised it isn't transleted to "La Encuesta Dice ..."