Inshallah... and other concepts

One of the great things about living in a new country is learning the new mannerisms and sayings.

In Korea, for example, I learned to suck my breath in through clenched teeth to signify that I wasn't sure about something, or maybe frustrated by a question, or just in need of a few teeth-sucking minutes to think about my next move. I learned to say "no" by crossing my forearms in front of me, and to invite a person over by wiggling my fingers with my palm facing down, not up. We heard, but didn't use, emphasized words preceded by a strong gutteral hiss and I learned, the hard way, that "maybe" was generally "I don't know".

Every country has its own body language or oft-repeated phrase that becomes a significant part of the communication between its citizens. An alert traveler might pick up on these things after only a few days ~ I'm thinking of the rather prolific head wobble that is characteristic of Rajasthan in India, or the kissy-sound that is a friendly way of getting attention in Cuba ~ and here, Ty and I do consider ourselves to be alert travelers when it comes to decoding some of the gestures and words around us, using contextual clues to figure out what someone might mean, and even straight-out asking about it.

The first gesture we noticed was a clasping of the fingertips and thumb together, palm up, and a slight shake. It's what we, as Westerners, might use to signify "money" or "expensive", as we rub our fingertips together. Here, it's a nice way of saying "Wait a minute" or "hold on", even when the shake is rather vigorous. A bit shocking the first time someone waves their hand under your nose and then wanders off.

Remember that friendly kissy-sound from Cuba? Here, it's an expression of displeasure... a sort of "uh-uh" interjection that flows easily into conversation. We heard our friend Nawaf using it repeatedly as he tried to negotiate a better deal for our first rental car.

Finally, and certainly not the least common, is "Inshallah" or "God willing". It's the one word you can't help but hear, and you hear it, in every sentence, in every situation, in every environment. The meaning of it, however, seems to varied. First off, as "I'll do my best, but God has the final say" ~ such as when someone is asked to do something, like: "Can you fix this by tomorrow?" "Ahhh yes, Inshallah." Another interpretation of it is, unfortunately, "I'm not going to do a damn thing, and God will make it happen, or not." At this point, it's pretty hard to differentiate which Inshallah is being used when you're asking for something. Finally, there's the "Don't be too sure about that" idea, where when you have stated that something will happen, the people around you will generally reply, with a knowing look, "Inshallah".

All I can say is that I've started using it, sparingly, myself.

It's a neat saying, and I've taken it on as being a new way of looking at things, a sort of "How can you be so sure that this will happen, just because *you* want it to?", or the idea that circumstances (I hesitate to attribute everything to a higher power) may prevent something from happening, or allow it to. Some people do use it as a sort of a joke, a reason for why things might not happen on time, and I've found it makes a lovely excuse not to promise anything. Last week, a teacher asked me if I would observe her class as scheduled the following day. Knowing full well that I had a busy day ahead of me, but that I would try my best, I answered her the only way that she and I could both clearly understand....

"Inshallah"