Missing old friend....
While reading one of my friend's blog about his new South Korean flatmate, I remembered my flatmate...Cassiano Sandrini, half Italian-half Brazilian, who had never been to Italy, until I met and don't even know how to speak it. He might have learned a bit when he traveled there to meet his long lost family. Sandrini...sounds like some distant cousin of Michael Corleone from the pages of The Godfather.
He was introduced to me one of my earlier flatmate, Venessa, who was again from Brazil...no need to raise your eyes guys!! He landed in London with a bag full of books and few clothes, unlike us Indians who travels with loads of clothes. As far as I remember, he bought his jacket after landing. Anyways...he came to London to my great suprise, only to learn English. Learn English!!!! yaar its heights, we guys have to take IELTS to enter UK and he was there to study for it take IELTS. He was always scarred about taking this test, I hope he has taken it by now. (have you taken it??? whats the result....)
He starting living with us nd tried hard to talk to us in English, which was verrrrry poor. (Hey Man!! Sorry if you are reading, but even you accepts it.) But I really appreciate his efforts and hard work he did to learn it. One evening when he arrived, Rajeev and I was having pitta bread and some subzi with aloo as one of the ingrediants, I remembered my 5th standard English teacher, George Kutti Sir. He worked very hard to force us boys to carry Oxford Pocket Dictionary but we hardly used to and used to get beating on our hand knuckles. He used to tell us, " Always think in english and speak in english" thats the only way you can learn it. Cassiano was carrying one of those - Bible of learning english. To my surprise, I quoted the same words....Think and Speak in English.
He is quite a nice guys but a chatter-box and very acquisitive. Hats off to his grasping power. He used to get the topic we used to talk about in Hinglish by picking some of engligh words. Guys normally learn bad words in any new language but he learned "Shubh Ratri"...and since that day whenever we used to say good-night to him he always replied शुभ-रात्रि . He watch DDLJ with us and even today can narate the whole story without missing a single piece of information along with the names of SRK and Kajol. He knows bollywood gosips about Salman and Ash and knows almost all A list bollywood actors and actresses. He even knows directors, Sonu Nigam and music directors. You guys wont believe, he recognized Anu Malik while serving him at Pret a Manger and got an autograph for Hajeevee....thats what he used to call Rajeev. His favourite Indian soap was Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.....he used to properly follow it and used to tell us the story from missing episodes. He started watching cricket and know Sourav, Sachin and Dhoni. He likes Indian food, which goras do but his favourite is Kichdi..masale waala pulav, he even learned it and treated his girlfriend, Stella with it.
We used to go to pub quite often where he used to tell me each and every bit happened at his work place and things happening in his life. He used to tell me about his student life in Brazil and about his family, which was quite strange to me as my perception was that people in the west are not very open to each other and dont share many things about their lives. By the way I forgot to mention that he is a qualified Physiotherepist and Accupunturist.
Ha ha ha...I will share one of the incidents at his work place. He used to work on till at Pret A Manger so that he can speak more people in english and can understand their accent. Once an Indian couple visited his store and he was at till to serve. He realised that they are indian couple as they were discussing their order in Hindi, which by now he was very familiar with. As soon as they were ready, this is how their conversation goes...
Cassiano: Namaste!!!
Indian Couple....(zapped to hear that word from a proper Latin-American lad. Probably they never might have heared this word in any store even in India):
Namaste Namaste!!!
Cassiano: Aap Kaise Hai??
Indian Couple...(I can understand the situation thet were in right then....out of their head..pav ke neeche se zameen nikal gayi hogi??): @##@ Achhe, @###@ @###@
Cassiano didnt undetand the first and the last few words they replied but he understood "Achhe".
Cassiano (didnt understand anything): Haan Ji
Indian Couple: @@@@'@@@@'''''#######~~~~~~~
Cassiano: Namaste, I am not so good in Hindi. Please Speak in English!!!
Hey Man!!! I am missing you today..tried calling you as well but it went on Voice mail. Will try again, and this time if you didnt answer then Somebody is gonna hurt real Bad...
He was introduced to me one of my earlier flatmate, Venessa, who was again from Brazil...no need to raise your eyes guys!! He landed in London with a bag full of books and few clothes, unlike us Indians who travels with loads of clothes. As far as I remember, he bought his jacket after landing. Anyways...he came to London to my great suprise, only to learn English. Learn English!!!! yaar its heights, we guys have to take IELTS to enter UK and he was there to study for it take IELTS. He was always scarred about taking this test, I hope he has taken it by now. (have you taken it??? whats the result....)
He starting living with us nd tried hard to talk to us in English, which was verrrrry poor. (Hey Man!! Sorry if you are reading, but even you accepts it.) But I really appreciate his efforts and hard work he did to learn it. One evening when he arrived, Rajeev and I was having pitta bread and some subzi with aloo as one of the ingrediants, I remembered my 5th standard English teacher, George Kutti Sir. He worked very hard to force us boys to carry Oxford Pocket Dictionary but we hardly used to and used to get beating on our hand knuckles. He used to tell us, " Always think in english and speak in english" thats the only way you can learn it. Cassiano was carrying one of those - Bible of learning english. To my surprise, I quoted the same words....Think and Speak in English.
He is quite a nice guys but a chatter-box and very acquisitive. Hats off to his grasping power. He used to get the topic we used to talk about in Hinglish by picking some of engligh words. Guys normally learn bad words in any new language but he learned "Shubh Ratri"...and since that day whenever we used to say good-night to him he always replied शुभ-रात्रि . He watch DDLJ with us and even today can narate the whole story without missing a single piece of information along with the names of SRK and Kajol. He knows bollywood gosips about Salman and Ash and knows almost all A list bollywood actors and actresses. He even knows directors, Sonu Nigam and music directors. You guys wont believe, he recognized Anu Malik while serving him at Pret a Manger and got an autograph for Hajeevee....thats what he used to call Rajeev. His favourite Indian soap was Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.....he used to properly follow it and used to tell us the story from missing episodes. He started watching cricket and know Sourav, Sachin and Dhoni. He likes Indian food, which goras do but his favourite is Kichdi..masale waala pulav, he even learned it and treated his girlfriend, Stella with it.
We used to go to pub quite often where he used to tell me each and every bit happened at his work place and things happening in his life. He used to tell me about his student life in Brazil and about his family, which was quite strange to me as my perception was that people in the west are not very open to each other and dont share many things about their lives. By the way I forgot to mention that he is a qualified Physiotherepist and Accupunturist.
Ha ha ha...I will share one of the incidents at his work place. He used to work on till at Pret A Manger so that he can speak more people in english and can understand their accent. Once an Indian couple visited his store and he was at till to serve. He realised that they are indian couple as they were discussing their order in Hindi, which by now he was very familiar with. As soon as they were ready, this is how their conversation goes...
Cassiano: Namaste!!!
Indian Couple....(zapped to hear that word from a proper Latin-American lad. Probably they never might have heared this word in any store even in India):
Namaste Namaste!!!
Cassiano: Aap Kaise Hai??
Indian Couple...(I can understand the situation thet were in right then....out of their head..pav ke neeche se zameen nikal gayi hogi??): @##@ Achhe, @###@ @###@
Cassiano didnt undetand the first and the last few words they replied but he understood "Achhe".
Cassiano (thought that definitely couple might have asked him about his well being): Main Achha Hu.
Indian Couple (looked each other and): @@@@@@@###########~~~~~??????????@@Cassiano (didnt understand anything): Haan Ji
Indian Couple: @@@@'@@@@'''''#######~~~~~~~
Cassiano: Namaste, I am not so good in Hindi. Please Speak in English!!!
Hey Man!!! I am missing you today..tried calling you as well but it went on Voice mail. Will try again, and this time if you didnt answer then Somebody is gonna hurt real Bad...
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