I love it when things start to fall into place. Yesterday, I attended the Women Leaders in Peacebuilding and Rebuilding Lives International Conference. Attendance was probably around 100, 150 (rough estimate). I was really happy to discover this conference that was taking place in the beautiful Sison Auditorium which belongs to the Pangasinan provincial government, right across the street from the main campus of Pangasinan State University, which has 9 campuses. Themes included: The effect on wars and violence on women and communities, grassroots organizing, infrastructure and capacity building, and building political power, impact of US military presence on women with regards to prostitution and human trafficking, environmental sustainability and gender equity issues in agriculture, climate change, overseas workers, nuclear power disasters and recovery efforts, and a lot more. It was right up my alley!
I knew that with an agenda like this, not only would I meet people who might help me along my journey to learn Pangasinan, I might also meet like-minded individuals who could potentially become homies. Yay!
Building your community is an essential part of language learning. Not only do you need the conversation partners, but if you’re an extreme extrovert like me, you’ll die without a barkada (crew, circle of friends, entourage). Plus - it’s always good to have people who have your back. I always try to have people’s back at home and welcome people into my community, and I’ve been lucky to be on the receiving end of that same welcoming spirit here in the province.
2 things that I have learned to seek out in my language learning adventures in the past are 1) College/University towns and 2) Surfers!
What’s great about college and university towns: cheap food, cool places to study, public spaces, higher likelihood for better public safety, progressive thinking.
I could write a book about why surfing towns are awesome, but I’ll just go with the highlights: laid back, super friendly and helpful people, if there’s nothing to talk about, you can always talk about the ocean, oh yeah, you’re always by the ocean, progressive thinking, affordable accommodations, people in all age-ranges (from teenagers, to young families, to elders), fun nightlife.
Lingayen is a university town, and has a bonus in that it’s also the home of state-level government, but the surfing aspect of the town has yet to be developed. I almost lost my mind when I saw a Surf Star tent set up on the beach when I arrived. It had only been up for 10 days. I’m looking forward to getting to know the surfers, spending time near the ocean, and maybe even helping a little with the business.
OK - time to talk language!
Here are some things I learned today:
Phrases
Q: Ined si Curly?
A: Sa kanilang bangir!
Q: Where is Curly (Pangasinan)
A: On the other side of (Tagalog) the other side (Pangasinan)!
I think this is like - Where's the kuwan? Doon sa kuwan! (Where is that thing?/Over by that thing!)
Bangad irayan ageyet! - Those mosquitos are misbehaved!
Dakul ageyet - (There are) so many mosquitos
Huwag mo akong kainin! - Don't (you) eat me! (Tagalog)
Singaka ageyet! - You are like the mosquitos!
Ambetil ed Baguio anto? - It's cold in Baguio, di ba/no/Isn't it?
Vocab
Anapsen - sour
Anapapsen - Ay! So sour!
Tiniktinik - Thorn, Nanang Paula used to tie leaf stems with tiniktik around her legs when she had arthritic pain, and said it helped it feel better.
agtakao - to steal (Ilocano)
imbalitak (past tense) ibalitak (present/future) - to return. Ex. Ibalitak nani ed Sto Tomas - I will go back later to Sto Tomas
ibalaybay - to dry
Alana - Alimango/Crab
Galewey - Alimasa/small crab with little pinchers and long arms
Time of Day:
Kabuasan - Morning
Ugto - Noon
Ngarem - Afternoon
Labi - Night
palbangon - Dawn (1 - 5AM)
Karoman - Yesterday
Kaboas - Tomorrow
Natni/Naani/Nani (colloquial) - mamaya/later
Natan - ngayon/natan
Bonus: Nanang Paula's recipe for joint pain relief
Fill a jar with the following ingredients. Let sit for a day or two, apply to sore joints:
kerosene
bawang - garlic
Pimiento - black pepper
Laurel - bay leaf
Salt
Romero - rosemary
Other herbs ????
