lost in translation
I met my South African husband eleven years ago.
I was working at a missions organization in Texas; Niel was going to host our first team to South Africa. Even though it wasn’t my department, I was asked to be involved in the planning of the trip. When Niel came into town to go over final logistics—his first time to America—he spent quite a bit of time hanging out in my office.
I’m a snacker—always have been and always will be—and I had a drawer full of snacks in my desk. One of my favorites to stock up on was animal crackers. Mainly because they were cheap. And came in big bags.
On one of Niel’s many visits to my office, I offered him a handful. It was his first time to ever see or eat an animal cracker. I don’t know if he was more intrigued by the animal-shaped more-cookie-than-cracker snack sensation or the fact that I had a king-sized bag of them in my desk drawer.
A while later Niel came back into my office. He sauntered over to my desk, with his stunning blue eyes, wavy blond hair pulled back in a pony tail, and heart-stopping accent.
“Can I have some more pet biscuits?”
I burst out laughing. “It sounds like you’re asking for a dog treat. They’re called animal crackers,” I told him as I gave him another handful.
Even now, after almost eight years of marriage, things often get lost in translation between us—sometimes comical, sometimes frustrating. But I wouldn’t trade my pet-biscuit-eating man for anyone in the world.
this made me smile, i can almost hear niel say that.
is the animal crackers almost like our zoo cookies in south africa?
thinking of you for your big op tomorrow! but wait, will your friday only be my saturday? this time zone thing confuses me! :-)
@atangie says:
DaRonn and I had a good chuckle over this story. One of my most favorite things is hearing about the beginnings of relationships.
Ha! That’s too funny. :) I can picture that happening with Niel.
Melissita- Not sure if Alece is familiar w/ the Zoo biscuits here in SA (she probably is!), so just in case, in *my* opinion, they are nothing alike.
Whoever was in charge of naming products at Nabisco (right?) was obviously not aware of the perfectly sweetened taste of the Animal Cracker. They’d be better named Animal Cookie. Having said that, however, they are not sweet like the Zoo biscuits made here by Bakers. I’d compare the Animal Cracker to a Graham Cracker, but unless you’ve had one of those then that’s not helpful.
Differences: Animal Cracker: shaped like an animal/Zoo biscuit: rectangle
AC: not iced Zoo: iced
AC: since it’s already shaped like an animal, there’s no need for the icing shape to be put on w/ icing like the Zoo biscuit.
Hope that clears things up for any of you who even cared. ;)
so, Uh-yeece (as my kids say), whaddya think? Zoo biscuit or Animal Cracker?
thanx christen :-)
christen, you are cracking me up with your comments. i loved your comparison between animal crackers and zoo cookies. all i’ve got to add is: i concur!
So funny! I can’t believe it’s been that long. I actually think I vaguely remember the pet biscuit reference!
@mandythompson says:
wow….
beautiful post alece.
Doesn’t he still call them pet biscuits?
@cassgirl says:
Can I come over for some cookies and milk?
This is a great post! One to save for the kids to read! I hope you scrapbook some of these about the two of you or something. Did you know there are two different types of animal crackers? One kind is more hollow and crumbly, the other is more like a dense cookie. The later was a big disappointment. I had a craving for the normal kind and was wanting to introduce them to Conrad. After I tried them I had to inform Con that they were not real animal crackers, just animal shaped cookies posing as crackers.
Good post!
andrew — i don’t know… he might just to be goofy.
heidi — you betcha!
faith — scrapbook? i am so not crafty or creative enough for that. my blog = my scrapbook! and i had no idea about two different versions of animal crackers. GASP!
@danielleH says:
This made me burst out loud laughing.
I also love hearing about the beginnings.
And…I think this might be one of my favorites of g & g yet.
I love that in my mind I could totally hear both your voices saying those words…and it made me miss you!
really? you could hear us? that makes me smile.
That is a funny story! :)
Share the story of when you knew you wanted to marry him!
wow. that’s quite the steep order. i will add that thought to my “drafts” and let’s see what comes of it!
I will forever think of them as “pet biscuits” now. LOL haha!
yay! cause then you’ll think of me!
that is so stinkin funny.
i think so too!
no worries…my wife and i grew up 30 minutes apart…never met until i was 23 and she was “so” much older than me…and we still have “translation” problems…for instance…
two weeks ago we had a bunch of friends over to the house…as one friend and her son were leaving kasey was finishing up feeding molly and says to me…”see is she wants some fruit”…i was thinking she was talking about our friend who was leaving…so i asked her if she wanted any fruit to take home…later i’m asked if i ever gave molly any fruit to eat…WHAT??? here kasey was wanting me to feed our daughter…EVERYONE got a good laugh at my expense that night!!!
THAT is awesome!
and how wild that you grew up 30 minutes apart but didn’t meet until you were 23. how much older is your wife???
depends on the time of year…5 or 6…
niel’s 4 years older than me…
That’s so funny!
So are you swinging by the Pacific Northwest while you’re in the country?
i wish i were… maybe next time?! we were up in seattle in april (or was it may?) – we usually go up that way on ministry trips, so i’m sure we’ll head there again next time… and when we do, hopefully next stop: oregon.
That’s so funny :) Has being married to Niel and living in SA changed your accent at all?
yes! when americans discover that i’m from new york, they’re always amazed. “you don’t sound like a new yorker!” i don’t, not really. i had to “neutralize” when i moved to SA because people either couldn’t understand anything i was saying or made fun of the way i said things! so i evened out a lot. i’m very obviously american, but to a fellow american, i don’t sound like a new yorker. if that makes sense.
now that i’ve been in NY a while, my accent is back a bit. i like that. i’m sure, though, that after a few days back in SA i’ll be back to my “new normal” accent… it just sort of happens subconsciously…
@cassgirl says:
That’s so funny..
That you neutralized an accent.
I have always heard that you are born a New Yorker always a New Yorker.
Good Morning my friend, I took a long walk today. I’m on vacation these next two days. thought about you… back to my emails…..
mmmm…. enjoy your vacation.
we went to a waterpark a few days ago. when we bought our tickets, the check-out girl told me to “enjoy your daycation”. i laughed out loud.
i’m even chuckling about it now.
@cassgirl says:
not much of a vacation…
just stuff for kids schools and dr appts and school shopping, praying for friends who will be in operations. Hmmm. returning emails. writing a “girlfreind post” , journaling,and having lunch with a friend.
So when are you coming?? does Sushi sound good??
I know what you mean about neutralising accents – I found the same thing here in the UK, sometimes people find it hard with my NZ accent, so I have to speak more slowly and clearly … People are surprised my accent hasn’t become more English in all the time we’ve been here, but then, I’m married to a fellow Kiwi, so we can of reinforce each other’s accents, if you get what I mean.
It’s funny how the way we speak adjusts back a little wherever we fnd ourselves :)
oops, I meant “kind of reinforce each other’s accents” hee, hee :)
First…I remember that HUGE bag of Animal Crackers…Wally World…real cheap..the snack of interns…I ate so many that year.
Second…to this fellow American…you do sound like a New Yorker…only on certain words…but they are the important ones…like Coffee!! And I agree that your accent is stronger since you have been in the US…the ONE time I talked to you on the phone…I got off saying…”she really has her accent back”! I love it…I even try to imitate you when I miss ya!
@cassgirl says:
@birgit Hi friend!!!
I bet your accent is beautiful…
heidi — how’s iceman? and thanks for praying so much for me. you are loved!
birgit — i hear you. i think if niel was also a new yorker, that would change things. but you’re so right about how quickly my accent can change. i totally chameleonize to wherever i am. sometimes it’s great but sometimes i wish i could just sound like me wherever i was. i have a friend from texas who’s lived in africa for 20 years — and yet she sounds like she just left houston last week. i wish i could retain my newyorkerness like that!
charlene — yep! that’s the exact big bag i’d always buy. i’m glad you remember it, too! i practically lived on animal crackers, ramen noodles, and ron’s stash of instant hazelnut coffee (international flavors or whatever the brand was called). and ha! really? you picked up on my accent on that oh-so-short conversation? that makes me smile big for some odd reason.
@cassgirl says:
Iceman is awesome, climb a tree yesterday!!!
that was wonderful.
I needed this laugh!! Thank you so much.
I didn’t know you had ever lived in Texas. What part?
OK, now that I’ve read the comment thread…
How in the world do you neutralize an accent? For the life of me I can’t get rid of mine, even other Texans make fun of me! :oops:
I LOVE the pet biscuit story. And I love the way you wrote it out – so similar to the way you tell it. You are you, and I love you. :-D I love a lot of things today, apparently. Ha!
You think of me on Friends and I’ll think of you when the boys are toting around their pet biscuits. LOL!
such a tender and playful post!
i loved reading this.
do I happen to know this Texan friend who lives there but keeps up “her” thick accent? I didn’t know you worked at teen mania. How long were you there?
Darn My word press must have kicked me off and I turned into the crazy little purple guy! And I even started to try and blog more on my new wordperss!
ok now I’m back to the cute picture of me and Conrad!
@danielleH says:
It’s funny that you wrote this, I was thinking of doing a few posts like this on when we first “met” and all that. I think it’d be fun. :)
I totally laughed out loud. My dog is staring at me wondering what’s so funny. Pet biscuits. Love it.
Oh yeah! I love hearing stories of how people met! I had no idea you met at Teen Mania! That’s awesome! Did he mention whether he wasreally coming back for pet biscuits? ;)
@ventigrace says:
How had I never heard this “beginning” story?!!!? I totally laughed at “pet biscuits” and can hear the accent now. I have a feeling Nigel was trying to be flirty cute… sounds like it worked!
This was hysterical…..I love how it all began stories….
I love the it stuck stories too!!!
Praying girl…love you!
michelle — i lived in east texas: garden valley, outside of tyler. where are you? oh, and maybe texans CAN’T lose theirs — like my friend the missionary!
roo — i’m glad you could hear my voice in my words.
faith — yep! you know i’m talking about jana! don’t you agree about her accent?! it always astounds me that she sounds “fresh off the boat”. and i was at teen mania 96/97.
danielle — i can’t wait to read your posts!
hope — your dog is staring at you?! ha! i love it.
annie — didn’t you meet him when he was there? he went to a few ATFs and such and otherwise hung out in the offices. oddly, we met face-to-face for the very first time in melissa king’s apartment. i had wet hair from a recent shower, so niel likes to spin it: “i first saw alece when she stepped out of the shower.”
amers — really?! i don’t know how either! niel was taken at the time, so i don’t think he was flirting… but maybe, just maybe…
debs — thanks for your prayers!
I’m in Dallas, Alece. Born and raised Texan! My husband is from East Texas. He got rid of his in college and teases me relentlessly about mine! But his parents!? Whoo-boy!! No on talks Texan quite like them!
well…. howdy then!
No one*
Howdeee!
@atangie says:
So you were in T.M. the year we all went to Botswana and then the next year when DaRonn, Charlene, Shawn and I (and a few other people :wink:) went to Costa Rica.
By the way Africa was our first choice. They placed us in Costa Rica.
On the accent theme…
People tell me I have an accent. I can’t tell. People chuckle at me when I talk. I ask them why. They say it is because I have an accent. I think accents are a good ice-breaker.
i started at TM right after our botswana trip. literally days later. shawn and i drove down to tulsa together. and i was in south africa when you were in costa rica. craziness, eh?
@atangie says:
Yeah – craziness. Can’t help but wonder ‘what if’? :-)
wonder out loud… what if what?
@atangie says:
Ah – you are still up. :-)
What if we had met the next year
What if we had ended up in Africa instead of South America?
What if we had been we sooner?
(yeah — i’ve been writing the ministry email newsletter because i know i won’t really be able to do it early next week!)
mmm… good thoughts there, friend. so interesting to see how much of an impact ONE decision makes in our lives. a little frightening at the same time, eh?!
god is faithful; i cling to that.
@atangie says:
Good for you burning the midnight oil my owlish friend. :-)
And not only how our own decisions affect us but the decisions of the people around us. Or even going beyond that to consider the impact of the decision to be indecisive. When we sit back, hesitate, flee, cede or hide what is the result?
But, like you said, God is faithful and it all works out in the end.
I do think we will still make it to Africa sooner or later. We were just talking about it today…
my brain hurts now!
:)
@cassgirl says:
Hey why aren’t you in bed….
nervous???
indeed.
@atangie says:
I am in bed
:-)
@atangie says:
hi heidi
@cassgirl says:
I went to the beach tonight at sunset..
called a friend, she has an accent!!
@cassgirl says:
Hi Angie!!
@cassgirl says:
so are you having pet bisquits to handle your nerves?
@atangie says:
Alece, sorry to hurt your brain. I’ve been pensive this evening.
Heidi, the beach at sunset sound spectacular.
Right when You said a friend who has a thick accent I heard Jana’s sweet voice in my head! Thats too funny! Speaking of being in the right place at the right time, The year I went to south africa with tm I originally was signed up to go to india! I was raising support for that trip when someone pointed out that I was a few years to young to go there. I tried to get some strings pulled so I could go but in the end I guess God knew where he wanted me to be. For sure!
hey girls! I was in bed but got out to see what was going on here!
@cassgirl says:
Hi Faith…
@ angie.. I needed to pray for a friend. This friend needed me. So I went. I walked the pier at sunset. The picture will be on my blog tomorrow, finishing up my “girlfriend” post week.
We have all been really sick this week, Conrad and Dan the worst but today I got hit and I was trying to get something into my tummy to make it better. whenever I get sick it just makes me never want to have another pregnancy!
@cassgirl says:
It’s too early to go to bed.
ha most night I stay up much later but tonight I went down at 8 after Con was in bed
whens the operation take place?
@atangie says:
Faith, I was wondering the same thing. I think she mentioned it on the eviction notice post…
@cassgirl says:
Where did she go?
@atangie says:
Yes – August 22. that is like in about 15 minutes. ;-)
I bet it will all go smooth, since we will all be praying for her.
My baby turns 17 months tomorrow!
hey Angie where do you live? I think you said suth america
@cassgirl says:
God is in control!!!!
@atangie says:
Amen – God is in control! :-)
Cochabamba, Bolivia, South America.
Where do you live Faith?
aw I always wanted to go there! I think one of my brothers went there with tm one year. I live 45 min from chicago in west chicago, il im originally from MI and lived in Mexico while growing up for about 6 years (but I dont speak spanish anymore!) and i lived in botswana
is it a small town or a city?
@cassgirl says:
@ngie has a booger king!! huh?
@atangie says:
How interesting, Faith. I loved my time in Botswana. (TM ’96, two months).
@atangie says:
Booger Keen is ALL we’ve got (as far as U.S. chains goes). But we are the third largest city in Bolivia – just shy of a million.
ah I was there with them in 01 and then moved there the next year till the end of 03
well if you have a burger king it must be rather large!
how long have you been there?
@atangie says:
Cochabamba is about 1/3 the size of Chicago – not too shabby.
Heidi – where do you live?
@atangie says:
On November 1 we will have been in Bolivia for 7 years.
wow thats long term! good for you guys!
how did the two of you find this blog?
@atangie says:
Thanks. Glory to God. I Found it through a mutual friend, Danielle Hodgson.
Girls – it has been fun chatting. I’ve got a big TGIF ahead of me, so we will catch you around, ok? :-)
Let’s be sure to be praying for our sweet Alee as she bids a not so fond farewell to her unwelcome tenants, yeah? :-)
@atangie says:
Good night! :-)
night!
@tamhodge says:
good lorf im not reading through all these comments.
but did you say…
“hair pulled back in a pony tail”???
sigh.
that is just wrong!
@tamhodge says:
what the?!?!
“lorf”???
This post made me laugh! However, it has me wondering what kind of experiences my brother might have from his wife and her family (they are from Laos) over the past several years.
sweet!
tam — yes, maam. he had long thick wavy hair back in the good ol’ days. and he actually cut it because a church wouldn’t allow him to come speak with his long locks!!!
I had no idea you had met neil before our trip to SA. Thats GREAT
yep – crazy, eh?!