Soy de Singapur

I started learning Spanish last month, weekly lessons with a tutor who comes to my place. Why Spanish? I don't know, really. Small causes turned the floating needle. Getting to know a Spanish colleague. Reading Octavio Paz and Marquez. Wanting to read Neruda and Lorca. Moving among so many Spanish speakers in NYC. Thinking of visiting Central and South America for the first time. Intrigued by Moorish culture in southern Spain.

After putting it off for a couple of weeks (I am not a very good student), I finally wrote, with the help of WordReference.com, my first Spanish composition for my tutor. I found the experience liberating in some ways. Freed from the rage for perfect order, I enjoyed the simple act of putting down one word after another. I was happy to learn that the word for "lovers" is "enamorados," and to remember that "fiesta" means "party."


Soy de Singapur, un pais en Asia del sudoeste. Hay seis milliones de gente en este pais, la mayor parte ella es china. Los otros son malayos y indios. Hay también pequeñas comunidades de judios, arabe y armenios. La gente de Indonesia, Malaisia, Tailandia y Filipinas vienen a trabajar en Singapur. Ellos trabajan en muchos empleos, de docencia a construcción, de medico a sirvienta. Un pocos hacense ciudadanos de Singapur, pero la mayoría sale para sus paises. Ellas quieren ganar un buen sueldo en Singapur, y ellas pueden, pero Singapur no puede ganar su amor. Ellas dan su amor a sus patrias, o a sus familias o a sus enamorados que van a bañarlos en un million de besos.

Cada domingo, en la tarde, estas sirvientas, muchas de quienes son chicas de Indonesia o Filipinas, se congregan, en sus ropa de domingo, en el distrito de la compra. Ellas hablan fuerte; sus excitados voces vuelan a sus amigas para un gran aplauso. ¿Qué ellas dicen a sus amigas? ¿Preguntan ellas cómo te trata tu señor? o por qué tienes tu mucho sueño? o cuántos diamantes tu señorita lleva a la fiesta? or cuándo tu vas a visitar a tu padres? No sé, porque las veo desde una distancia y no puedo oirlas. Estoy curioso pero no debo perturbar a las pájaras, si no se alejan volando aunque sus ojos se quedan.

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