Musing Interruptus is a podcast meant for sharing thoughts and stories and enjoying idiomatic phrases and words in general. You can read along; the transcription is in the description of this episode. The idiomatic expressions are in italics. Try to get the meaning from the context and then look them up to see if you were right. If you like it, share it, but more importantly, continue the conversation.
Hello, I’m Renée Valentina and this is Musing Interruptus. Does our place of origin determine our destiny? What about our mother tongue? Or is it only the mother? Tricky tricky questions I need help answering! Today on Musing Interruptus, Where are you from?
If you are from Never Never Land, we already know you are not going to grow up, ever. Lala Land is a great place to visit but not stay. You probably won’t find anybody who was born in Lala Land. We all know how to get there, short or long stays. Narnia, well that is a whole other place and state. If they are from there, you might take a chance and ask them where their closet is. Remember, don’t assume, always ask. I have been told I am a Hispanic, meaning… I am from Hispania, which is in the vicinity of Narnia. However, I am not. Never assume where someone is from. Always ask.
If you are from Middle Earth, you might be a human, but you also might be a hobbit, a dwarf, or an Ent. It is good to ask the person you are talking to, where they are from. You don’t want to be caught off guard in case they are ready to enlist you on a journey or even an adventure you thought was only possible in books. Be ready and always ask. It is very rude to ask people if they are from a certain place right off the bat. That is because you might be checking off stereotypical traits. We wouldn’t like to do that, would we? If you do, people might assume you are from the Sticks. I think the more you learn the less you tend to generalize. That doesn’t mean there aren’t general truths we can rely on. When it comes to identity, it is best to ask.
Ask people where they are from and you might get to hear about where they have been, the things they have seen, and what they have done. Where you are from can open a door to the past and to the future. Let’s keep this in mind, the place we are from does not provide us with an all-encompassing certainty of the future, just a component.
When you are going to meet someone for the first time, you might consider packing a special contingency bag, just in case. A bit of Lembas Bread, a cloak of invisibility, a few happy thoughts, an ace up your sleeve, and ruby slippers to get back home. Always have a plan for getting home safely. You should keep your cellphone charged too. Oh! And Running shoes… those ruby slippers might not allow you to outrun an ork or a grown-up whose hand was lost to a crocodile and has a hook in its place. I mean expect the best and prepare for the worst. That is all anyone can do when meeting someone new and asking them where they are from.
Thank you for listening.
What do you pack when meeting someone for the first time? What do you like to take on a first date? What places have you wanted to visit after meeting someone? Will you invite me into your closet? I’m listening Read
