OK, so this is not technically a post about our exploits in Sweden, but I just have to post something about Sonja's recent trip to Italy with my Mom and Wilbur (my fabulous stepfather). For those of you who have never met Wilbur, let me say that if you were on a desert island, you would want Wilbur with you. He can make sushi, kill and pluck a chicken, build a house, make jewelry, sew, sing opera (sort of), fit 35 boxes in the back of a small hatchback and God knows what else (not all of which is super useful on a desert island, but you get the idea).
So it's no surprise that Wilbur decided to learn Italian in preparation for their trip. We chuckled to ourselves because he seemed to be relying on Google Translator a weeee bit too much for comfort in learning key phrases. I was convinced he was going to end up saying things like "Where we cannot find bus, we find tram?" (in Italian, of course). But life is strange and, go figure, he did learn some basic Italian that was crucial during their trip because no one spoke English in Calitri, the small hill town they stayed in for a week, AND because Mom seemed to be suffering from some sort of word processing disorder and Sonja speaks only English and Latin.
So it's no surprise that Wilbur decided to learn Italian in preparation for their trip. We chuckled to ourselves because he seemed to be relying on Google Translator a weeee bit too much for comfort in learning key phrases. I was convinced he was going to end up saying things like "Where we cannot find bus, we find tram?" (in Italian, of course). But life is strange and, go figure, he did learn some basic Italian that was crucial during their trip because no one spoke English in Calitri, the small hill town they stayed in for a week, AND because Mom seemed to be suffering from some sort of word processing disorder and Sonja speaks only English and Latin.
On one occasion when he had to call about a hotel reservation, my Mom and Sonja nearly peed in their pants as Wilbur spelled his name over and over on the phone so the reservations lady could find their reservation. This wouldn't be so funny save for the fact that Wilbur's last name is Wong and Italian doesn't include the letter "W." So you can begin to imagine the scene. Since my Mom and Sonja were so busy rolling around on the floor they didn't manage to get video all I can do IS imagine, which is really a shame.
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2 comments:
it has been years since we last saw wilbur, but darn itif heoesn't come up in random conversations! fun to hear about his latest adventures!
jacqueline
I realized afterwards (I looked it up on my BB) that "double you") doesn't cut it. As you say, the "W" doesn't exist in the language and if you were trying to give it, it is something like 'vud'doppjo' (a) depending on gender of course . . .
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