the stories you tell one another

the stories you tell one another around the fires in the dark
will make you strong and wise.

well, i've got a few stories by now, that's for sure. one of the most recent stories, is actually something that happens on a semi-regular basis here. one of my friends is my slovak tutor. she and i, in addition to having slovak lessons, also have movie night. last week was her birthday and after our slovak lesson, she had some snacks and champagne so we could watch a movie (we had been trying to watch this movie for a few months now, but our schedules didn't sync up).

she asked me in slovak if i had to get going (it was after 8pm on a week night). i (forgetting that most questions are asked in the negative here) thought she was asking if i could hang out, so i said yes. her face immediately fell. i realized that there had been a miscommunication and once we clarified what i meant, told her a story from a week or two ago. the stories goes like so:

i was playing solitaire in the kitchen, and someone staying with us was passing through and asked if i was doing "vykladanie kariet" (card reading/interpretation). i thought she was asking if i was playing cards, so i said yes. of course, the aghast look on her face quickly let me know that she had not been asking if i was playing cards. so i stopped and clarified. when i figured out what she was asking, i explained that i was playing cards - solitaire to be exact - and that alieviated the situation (though she isn't the card playing type, so it was still at least a little tense). anyway, that gave my friend and i something to laugh together about.

these and other stories that i have shared around champagne and keksy (snacks), kava, and obed (coffee and lunch), and other such things, have indeed made me stronger and wiser. being able to laugh at myself gives me strength of character and learning from these stories (and the stories that i hear) makes me wiser. i still guess at what people say occasionally, but i'm at least a bit more hesitant about it now, or i respond with a full sentence answer (especially about what i'm doing) instead of just a yes or no.

the stories you tell one another around the fires in the dark
will make you strong and wise.