“Ah-low”
“Pappu, this is Debbie. I need to get Rakesh’s telephone number.”
“Number, yes.”
“Do you have his number? Telephone number. I need to talk to him.”
“Rakesh?”
“Yes, Rakesh. Can you have him call me?”
“You talk to Rakesh?” It’s times like this that make me wish I had spent more time learning Hindi.
“Yes, can you ask Rakesh to call me?”
“Yes, 10 minutes, I be up.”
I am hoping that maybe in person I can point to his phone and get a number. A few minutes later Pappu and Rakesh come through the door. I am really grateful that Rakesh speaks a little more English, but sometimes it’s still a challenge. I explain to Rakesh that Kapil from the OTA center will be staying in the apartment this week and he should plan on cooking. I haven’t seen him in a couple of days and I wanted to tell him that I wouldn’t mind eating here too. I’m a little tired of going out.
Once that was settled I requested some wheat bread and more Kool Café (iced coffee). He says he will bring 3 cans in the morning. He brought 3 cans last time. I’m not sure why we have a 3 can limit. Brandon said they stocked the refrigerator with beer when he was here; surely Kook Café is a cheaper than beer. It will be nice to have Kapil here to help communicate.
“Password. He cook.”
“Password?” I ask, searching my mind for what he could be talking about.
“I no Visa, cost 1 crore, Rakesh visa. He go.” It’s then I realize he said or meant to say ‘passport’.
I turn to Rakesh, “You got your Visa to go cook in Dubai?” He nods and lowers his head. Rakesh appears to be very shy. “That’s great! I’m very happy for you. You will love it. Dubai is beautiful.”
After a few words back and forth with Pappu, I gather enough to know that he is asking if there is an OTA in the US where he can cook in their guest house. I inform him that we stay in hotels there and this is the only center that has a guest house.
Pappu steps back into the kitchen. “This is yours?” I ask as he proudly holds out a tie. I had noticed it had been on the counter for several days. I assumed it belonged to one of them.
He studies it with a look of uncertainty and holds it out to me. “You want me to tie it?”
“Tie,” he says, pointed at himself.
“You want me to show you how to tie it?” I ask holding it to my neck.
“Yes, yes.”
I have no way to communicate that I would be honored to show him. He and Rakesh watch intently as I do a ½ Nelson. I show him that my thin end sticks out the bottom and shake my head to indicate that is not correct. I demonstrate again, this time getting it right. I hand the tie to Pappu and with a little help, he ties it but it’s uneven. I put the tie on again and tie it, slide it loose and hand it to him again. His grin broadens as he studies the knot. I can still see them both smiling as they head for the door. He is very happy to not only own a tie, but also have one that’s tied.
“Pappu, this is Debbie. I need to get Rakesh’s telephone number.”
“Number, yes.”
“Do you have his number? Telephone number. I need to talk to him.”
“Rakesh?”
“Yes, Rakesh. Can you have him call me?”
“You talk to Rakesh?” It’s times like this that make me wish I had spent more time learning Hindi.
“Yes, can you ask Rakesh to call me?”
“Yes, 10 minutes, I be up.”
I am hoping that maybe in person I can point to his phone and get a number. A few minutes later Pappu and Rakesh come through the door. I am really grateful that Rakesh speaks a little more English, but sometimes it’s still a challenge. I explain to Rakesh that Kapil from the OTA center will be staying in the apartment this week and he should plan on cooking. I haven’t seen him in a couple of days and I wanted to tell him that I wouldn’t mind eating here too. I’m a little tired of going out.
Once that was settled I requested some wheat bread and more Kool Café (iced coffee). He says he will bring 3 cans in the morning. He brought 3 cans last time. I’m not sure why we have a 3 can limit. Brandon said they stocked the refrigerator with beer when he was here; surely Kook Café is a cheaper than beer. It will be nice to have Kapil here to help communicate.
“Password. He cook.”
“Password?” I ask, searching my mind for what he could be talking about.
“I no Visa, cost 1 crore, Rakesh visa. He go.” It’s then I realize he said or meant to say ‘passport’.
I turn to Rakesh, “You got your Visa to go cook in Dubai?” He nods and lowers his head. Rakesh appears to be very shy. “That’s great! I’m very happy for you. You will love it. Dubai is beautiful.”
After a few words back and forth with Pappu, I gather enough to know that he is asking if there is an OTA in the US where he can cook in their guest house. I inform him that we stay in hotels there and this is the only center that has a guest house.
Pappu steps back into the kitchen. “This is yours?” I ask as he proudly holds out a tie. I had noticed it had been on the counter for several days. I assumed it belonged to one of them.
He studies it with a look of uncertainty and holds it out to me. “You want me to tie it?”
“Tie,” he says, pointed at himself.
“You want me to show you how to tie it?” I ask holding it to my neck.
“Yes, yes.”
I have no way to communicate that I would be honored to show him. He and Rakesh watch intently as I do a ½ Nelson. I show him that my thin end sticks out the bottom and shake my head to indicate that is not correct. I demonstrate again, this time getting it right. I hand the tie to Pappu and with a little help, he ties it but it’s uneven. I put the tie on again and tie it, slide it loose and hand it to him again. His grin broadens as he studies the knot. I can still see them both smiling as they head for the door. He is very happy to not only own a tie, but also have one that’s tied.
hahaha! one of these days I'm going to have to tell you about my argument with house keeping in China on paper because we couldn't understand each other. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was about my REI super moisture absorbent socks that turned into little polyester socks because they were washed in hot water so I was told.