Mission Not Accomplished

We are going to a Navy Ball this weekend, so we are running around with the last-minute minutia related to going to a formal event.  Elysia had her dinner dress uniform striped for her current rank before we left the States and ordered new mini-medals.  I just need a collar-extender because my tux shirt is just a little tight.  I don’t feel bad since I bought it seven years ago.

Today’s mission was to a) drop off Elysia’s laptop to get an estimate for a new screen, since I broke it, and b) find a pair of pantyhose for her.  It sounded simple enough but I ran into the ongoing communication confusion.  Most people here speak English but there is a terminology barrier.  If you don’t say the right words you may as well be speaking a different language.

I went to three stores and a customer service counter.  Tried explaining I wanted nude pantyhose.  They did not seem to know what ‘nude’ was — although I later found it on packages — so I got to try other words like ‘naked’ and ‘it looks like you are not wearing anything’.  I did not get very far with that one.  The sales girls got a good laugh when I pulled a pair out of my pocket to show them what I meant.

Then I got to demonstrate what I meant by “thigh-highs”.  I was sent to the drugstore where I realized they thought I was asking for medical compression socks.

There are just some things I cannot do.

Tagged as: lost in translation