Communication

After reading Hurl's blog ( camelspider.typead.com ) I thought of something funny that happened a few years ago while we were in Italy. We were staying in a home that had a washing machine, but no dryer. In Italy, they seem to hang their clothes out on a clothesline. You see spiderwebs of clotheslines and clothes through out the towns of Italy. Jesse and I were excited to have the washer, but we needed a clothesline. I got out my Italian/English dictionary and looked up the word "rope" so that we could go to the store and purchase a rope to use. It was a simple word that made perfect sense to me, and I was sure I could remember it because it was so easy. I assured Jesse that I knew the right word, and we set off for the store. Once we got there things did not go as planned. I told the clerk that we needed a "ropa". She did not understand. No matter how loud or slowly I said the word, she still did not understand. Then we resorted to hand gestures and charades. This worked, and we bought a rope and clothes pins. When we got home, I grabbed the dictionary to see where I had gone wrong. The word I should have used was "corda" not "ropa" - close, but no cigar. Jesse laughed till she was sick and has never let me forget my mistake. She still will say "ropa" anytime I make some silly mistake with words. She is merciless.