Hi! Kaise ho app??

Laksdfjlskd!!! Doesn’t that title make you SO excited to want to read more?? Like a secret language... that only about 28-30 million people know about... but whatever.

In case you can’t tell, I’ve taken it upon myself to learn… Hindi!!! I KNOW RIGHT?! WhoEVER would have THOUGHT?! Not me, that’s for sure. I mean, I’ve always loved languages and cultures and all that jazz, but I’ve never really been all that interested in learning Hindi for some reason. Maybe it’s because my family’s language is Malayalam and, let’s face it, I might as well at least learn my family’s language before learning some other random Indian language. But whatever. Now that I’m working with a bunch of people for whom Hindi is their native tongue... well, when in Rome and all that, right? I might as well cross those cultural bounds… span my cultural wings, if you will (ahh, I should be a poet with such lovely phrases, huh?)

Anyway, I’ve decided to utilize the resources right at my fingertips for some (very) basic Hindi training. Spend $1,000 on a Hindi-speaking class at a local college? Travel halfway around the world and pull my own little Eat, Pray, Love stint? No. Way. Instead, I’ve got my own personal weekly (and sometimes daily!) Hindi lessons with my team over in India for my job. We have this weekly half hour call that usually lasts ten minutes (can I help it if we're efficient?), so what better way to spend the remaining twenty minute block of time? Can’t let valuable meeting time go to waste and all that! Therefore, I’ve taken the liberty of creating a “Hindi dictionary” aka an Excel spreadsheet with the Hindi phrase, the phonetic English pronunciation (hello! I have to PRACTICE!), and the English meaning. It’s all very structured and organized, really.

Today was the trial run and, if I do say so myself, it was pretty darn fantastic. It was like a whole new world! I forgot how much I love learning languages, considering the last time I formally studied a language it was about nine years ago (and it was French… which I clearly use on a daily basis). Anyway, it actually all flowed like clockwork. I sent one of my India teammates a list of “common Christie phrases” that I wanted to be translated into Hindi and he sent it back right before our meeting so that I would have the Hindi spelling. And then we just went through the pronunciation/phonetics for a good 20 minutes or so. Now, I know you all are probably thinking, “Oh dear Lord. Common Christie phrases?” But whatever. I kept it pretty generic (I mean, OMG and alksdjf! are pretty universal, so there is no need for EXACT translation over there, let’s be honest), not to mention professional (okay. So I did request to learn the phrase “Mujhe facebook se pyar hai” but whatever. How can you NOT incorporate “I love Facebook!” into any and every conversation around? Facebook has no physical bounds. Hello. Obvi.)

Not only THAT, but thank GOD for my fellow Indian teammates on this side of the ocean to practice my new language on… nonstop and everything!! It’s all quite exciting, really. Exciting for me… potentially annoying for them? … Potayto, potahto and all that. All I have to say is, man am I GOOD at this!! Hahaha. Just kidding. 100% kidding. But whatever. I’m still learning! Everyone’s gotta start somewhere!

And who knew Hindi was such a beautiful LANGUAGE?!?!?! I love hearing people say the things I’m trying to decipher. I don’t even know how to describe it… very smooth and calming, if you will. Oh! And did you KNOW that Hindi SONGS are like the best things EVER?!?! Okay, so I’ve liked Indian songs for a while because of the beat and all that jazz but to understand the LYRICS?!?! A whole new WORLD of delightfulness. In fact, I was just sent THIS song earlier today and canNOT stop LISTENING TO IT. It makes me simultaneously want to cry/melt/float (because, not only is the instrumental simply lovely, but the “video” is just the Hindi AND English lyrics- hence that whole cryability/meltability/floatability component). Kasdlfjalkdjf!!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9YG2Xhmkn4) Seriously. It’s just so darn deliciously GOOD. I melt just thinking about it. MELTKJlkjafsdl! (I was just about to write what my favorite lyrics to this song were, but I couldn’t decide. There are too MANY! Anyway. Please do have a listen. On repeat. All day. We can have a sing-a-long tomorrow!)

Of course, none of this would be at all possible without only the best teachers EVER. So, in conclusion, I would just like to end this with (and I completely apologize, I haven’t gotten to the grammar portion of the lesson plan, so I don’t know ALL the words to formulate complete sentences):

Bahut bahut dhanyawaad**, Harsh and Vishal… you guys are adhbhut and zabardast***!

Chalo subh ratri*****!

क्रिस्टी (ChristiealksdjflksdjlOIK!UJOIJ!OLIJ!!!!)

*Hi! How are you?
**Thanks a LOT!!
***Wonderful and awesome!
****Good night!