Picture postcard perfect! What a beautiful place to spend a week. Snow tipped mountains, with peaks like piles of icing sugar, quaint little villages, Italian wine, and of course skiing!!
Enrolled for ski school and off I set for my first lesson. I thought I would start in the nursery with all the small kids, but I got rumbled and was sent off to join the adults. It was chaos to start with but eventually standards were assessed and groups were formed. Nobody seemed to know what to do with me for a while, and I was left standing alone for a couple of minutes. Oh er.... what's going on here? Eventually I was paired with another guy and from my understanding of basic Italian, was told to wait, halfway up the slope, for 'Antonio' to arrive to give us our lesson.
Off everybody else went and we were left alone standing on the side of the mountain. It was quiet for a while and then, me being nosey, thought I would make polite conversation with my partner in crime.
Do you speak English, I asked, hopefully?
No, no English! - Oops awkward silence!
Me Italian, he offered, and you?
I'm Irish.
Bigger awkward silence!
Ah....Olland, yes.
Eh, no I.r.e.l.a.n.d!
Yes, Dutch.
No, (trying not to get pi**ed off) Irish, not Dutch. - He seems to understand and smiles.
Yes, Van Basten and Rudd Gullett. (I thought about hitting him with my pole, but then I would have slid down the mountain! But, at last, some common ground, I think I'm on to something here.)
No, not VanBasten, Irish! Trapattoni!!
Ahhh, Trapattoni, Irelande, very good!
So the International language of Soccer saved the day.
TG Antonio turned up right at that moment with more students. My new soccer friend very kindly explains to him that I don't speak any Italian and I hear the words Trapattoni and Irelande mentioned. So 'Antonio' explains with slow Italian and lots of gestures that he has limited English and I am going to have to learn with my eyes. Thats OK, I can live with that, and nod accordingly. OK, OK, he says, now what es your name?
Oh no!! Anybody know a Soccer Team with a player called Siobhan...
Similar story on the international language of soccer. When travelling with Vincent all over Europe in 1980/81, when we managed to get through to people that we were Irish and not Australian!!, they invariably said "Ah Liam Brady" (Brady pronounced Brah-dee)
ReplyDeleteAnd there was me thinking I had invented a new language....
ReplyDeleteThat works in taxis all over the USA! As long as you have a decent working knowledge of African football.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big believer in the International language of football. Although one night in Dublin a few years ago, I discovered that the only thing that worked with a Catalan couple was the International language of Moto GP racing!
Er...I think I'll stick to learning Italian!
ReplyDelete