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Before I begin

So here's the deal, I realize these things are public. If you have a problem with something I say, I am ready to debate with you about it, but I have a feeling that an innocent travel blog is not the place to do it. I'd really like to be able to simply post this blog for those who are interested, my friends, and so that I can remember because goodness knows I'm probably going to forget stuff. Many of my posts will probably be transcribed from a physical journal I will be taking with me, and I'll put the stuff on the internet that I find interesting.

So my focus for most of my trips will probably be hand gestures and accents/dialects, simply because having a focus will allow me to notice more on the trip, and I happen to like hand gestures and accents.

let me give you a hand

These are some innocent hand gestures I have already learned:

From sign language:

• I'm sorry: a clenched fist making a circular motion on your chest
  
• Please: an open hand making a circular motion on your chest
  
• Thank you: Touch your chin with an open hand and then let your arm fall like a draw bridge
  
• Your welcome: an outward semicircle from your head to your belly button with three fingers in the w position
  
• Yes: a fist nodding similar to a head
  
• No: pointer and middle finger move up and down touching your thumb
  

From Italy:

• I'm hungry: open hand open downward moving back and forth away from your stomach
  
• Let's go: thumb and pointer of one hand that is flat hits against the palm of the other hand which is also flat
  
• Clever (in a mischievous way): pull down under your eye with your pointer
  

Some interesting accents I have come across:

• replacing l's with n's so "hello" becomes "heno"
  
• yinsers from Pittsburg.
  
• various ethnicities, but why bother naming them.
  

Please note that if someone has an accent because they were originally from another country, That means they probably know more languages than you. Don't mess. If there is one that is particularly interesting simply because of the differences from standard American English then I will most likely mention it, but my intent is not to make fun of anybody. I simply find the fact that people can speak the same language and yet sound so different really interesting.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as I do! I'll at least include some pictures for those of you who really don't care about how we communicate beyond our words.

Ciao for now,
Ben

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