Language Barrier

They say that one of the first things travelers struggle with is learning the language, and the lingo on top of that. I know that I can attest for not always using english that is grammatically correct or that can be found in the dictionary. One of my funniest/fondest language barriers occurred here in the United States, but I was a traveler none-the-less. The night before we moved into our dorm-room, my randomly assigned roommate and I went out to dinner with our respective parents. She was from North Carolina, and had an accent and sense of fashion. I was intimidated. The next day were beginning to unpack our boxes of belongings after lugging (okay... I admit we didn't do much of the lugging, thanks dads!) them up to the third floor. While my roommate, who will be called E, unpacked her shoes she started a casual conversation by asking "Do you have a pair sperrys?" I looked down and pretended to be focused on my upacking while I racked my brain of what in the world "sperrys" meant. "What?" I asked her after my preoccupied silence began to run into awkward silence. "Sperrys!" she said like it was just an everyday word. "A spare of what?" I replied. She looked at me and laughed, then pulled out a leather boat shoes of the shoe container she had previously been filling, "these are sperry topsiders... do you really not know what they are?" I admired them, and while a little embarrassed, was glad that I had the well-we-don't-wear-boat-shoes-because-we-are-nowhere-near-the-ocean excuse ready.


Luckily for me, I was blessed with a knowledgeable (and patient) roommate, who took the time to help me adjust to the lingo. Now for the plug, I am a big sperry fan. They are my most worn shoes and seem to go with my outfit no matter the style. They are as comfortable as wearing tennis shoes (my previous favorite shoe) but look a little more respectable. I've even worn them with dresses! I know that I have saved three other people from this awkward lack of understanding, I'm proud to say now my mother and two sisters wear sperrys and father's day is almost visible on the calender... maybe I can find a special since these would look cute with my summer plans. :)