Hip Hop

about six weeks ago, i got a student straight from M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i.

well, not straight from Mississippi. he caught a few rides with some semi-trucks with people he semi-knew and came semi-straight here--just a slight detour through North Dakota.

sort of like a Southwest flight.

i can semi-understand him. but thanks to my Philly language training plus my many conversations with Dawgs fan Matt Murray, i figured Girek out pretty quick.

another student of mine, David, who is White Hispanic, often quips to me, "you don't like me cuz i'm Black." it is usually easily ignored.

except that he said it to me on Girek's second day.

David: "you don't like me cuz i'm Black."
Miss Bankhead: "you're not Black."
Girek: (to David) "who you callin' Black?"
David: (with chin buried in chest) "me. sometimes i say i'm Black."
Girek: (confused) "but you not Black."
Miss Bankhead is getting uncomfortable.
David: "but i want those bunnies."
Girek: "what? you think all black people got bunyons?"
David: "bunnies."
Girek: "cuz i don't got bunyons! my grandma--she got bunyons."
Miss Bankhead: "David, what the crap are you talking about?"
Girek: "don't go around saying all Black people got bunyons."
Miss Bankhead: "david are you talking about legs?"
Girek: "you don't get bunyons on your legs! you get 'em on your feet! it's that bone that sticks out."
David: "bunnies."
Miss Bankhead: (who is deducing from the students around that "bunnies" means calf muscles somehow) "no, Girek, calf muscles."
David: "yeah. bunnies. for jumpin'."
Girek: "oh yeah. white boys don't jump. I can jump."
David: "bunnies."

translation successful. problem solved.


*special thanks to Kaylee for the Mississippi spell check