The Spanish Lesson

Applying to new graduate programs is always a challenge. What to say about my past work experience: how much is enough, how much is too much? Amongst all of the queries about clinical experience and life before nursing is the inevitable question: do you speak a second language? The honest answer -- though I had a few years of ASL and can communicate (whatever that means) and some French (not super useful here in California) -- is a resounding NO.

A fellow MEPN, wondering how the hell I got into the program being monolingual said, "You don't even speak a few words of Spanish? " NO. I can fake it, but why would I want to do that when we're talking about a someone's health?

Anyway, The Partner decided that I should have a working knowledge of Spanish to make patients feel like I am, at the very least, trying to communicate. Fair enough. Tonight he began compiling the "Dirty Dozen" words and phrases, as it were. Phrases such as, "How do you feel?", "Are you cold?", "Are you hungry?", "Do you want water?", "Where are you from?".

Listing off possible phrases as we drive through the Mission, from somewhere in the backseat The Kid chimes in: "Are you a virgin?"

Yeah, that one should come in handy. Thanks.

Anthropo Logic

A couple of weeks ago I was on my way to lunch with my former project manager, celebrating one year of liberation from social science and passing of the state boards. A now-doctoral-degree-holding colleague stopped by to say hello and commented that it was fun to keep up on facebook where we had recently become virtual friends. "But your profile picture... you're wearing and overcoat and standing on the street corner. You look a little like..."
"A prostitute?" I interjected.
She quickly corrected me, noting that the appropriate term is "sex worker".

The bias-free insult: how anthro-politcal!

Hillbint on Destruction

Can I just offer that if the new GOP vice presidential candidate wants to be taken at all seriously, she's going to need some lessons in diction. That, or maybe I can make some money when I publish the Sarah Palin Diction-ary.




"wey" (i.e. All the wey up here in Wasilla.) = way
"dint" (i.e. Oh no he dint.) = didn't
"hill" (i.e. I know hill make a fine president.) = he'll or hell, see "bint"
"bint" (i.e. Hillbint) = bent
"impordend" (i.e. The Bush Doctrine is really impordend to me.) = important