Lost in translation

Nassim has been involved in the last two of my 'culture shock' related experiences.

-The first one happened a few weeks ago:

My friend Ana Lucía gave me a Nativity Scene just before I went to Germany. I used to set it up on display only during Christmas Season, but lately I have kept it on display in the living room (also known as 'the hall', here in India).

In the left-hand side of the picture (click to enlarge it) you can see how the little pieces are supposed to be arranged: The Virgin Mary and St. Joseph are looking over Baby Jesus; and the stable animals are at the back.

On the right-hand side of the picture you can see how Nassim placed the pieces after she cleaned the showcase. Do you see the difference? I thought it was a funny because she has no idea that she rearranged the whole Christmas story!

-The second anecdote happened a couple of days ago ('a couple of days back', in Indian English. You see how much I've learned about the language here?!)

Anyway, one evening I noticed a mouse (yes! a rodent! ewww!) that was trying to come through the bathroom window upstairs. I totally froze because I HATE rodents, especially after the unwanted visit of a rat we had in the house during the floods of the last monsoon (but that's another story...)

However, I realized that this time it was just a very scared and small mouse that had unsuccessfully tried to come in the house. We tightly shut all the windows and MasalaDad assured me that the mouse was gone for good. I believe him now, but the next day I wanted to be extra cautious and wanted to tell Nassim to keep the terrace door closed at all times.

So the conversation went something like this:

Me: "Nassim, please door band karo. Mouse hai." (please close the door. There's a mouse).

Nassim: "Mouse?"

Me: "Yes...you know, billi khana mouse."

Nassim: "Cat eats mouse. Mouse?"

I look at Fabi to see if he has any suggestions, but he only smiles at me. I take one of Fabi's toys that looks like 'Mickey Mouse', and ask her, "Do you know him?", but Nassim says: "Yeh kya hai?" (What's this?)

We both laugh!

So I show her a quick drawing, but I know she doesn't understand because she holds it upside down.

I finally decide to go and find the word in a dictionary, but by the time I get back to her, she had already guessed that I was talking about a chuha. Now she closes the door of the terrace every time she goes in and out.

I'm quite sure the mouse is far away now...and because of that little rodent I had the funniest conversation with Nassim!