I say “you bumped your beezer” and everyone just stares. When someone addresses me with a petty request and I “fall asleep” mid sentence, they just stare. When I insult my friends by adding McGee to the insult people just stare (ex: for eating all the pie, Pie Eater McGee). When I explain the “Ballard family scrabble rules” the other players just stare. Granted, in Niger I get stared at a lot (normally by locals due to my light skin and strange clothing), but it wasn’t until I was playing scrabble with some volunteer friends and got stared at that I realized just how one-of-a-kind I am (all thanks to Ballardisms).
After six months away from home I’m finding that the more time I spend with new friends (and the more comfortable I get around them), the more unique I realize that my family is (because I tend to let the “Ballard” show a little more). I expected to find cultural differences between myself and my villagers, but often times I’m astonished at how little common ground (or common knowledge/customs/vocabulary) I have with the other American volunteers I serve with.
About two month ago my brother, his girlfriend, and my sister had posted a short video on YouTube to say hello, and insisted that I return the favor by posting a video as well. Rather than just saying hello I decided to be a bit “creative” with the video content. One of the more recent (and long running) inside jokes in my family is the “rap cat” (courtesy of the Rally’s commercial, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuk1L6NpAFA). I decided that a play on the rap cat would be a great idea. I brainstormed, planned, and finally filmed clips of the video all over my region. I share this story and video to support my claim that my family really is unique. You can watch it (and, therefore, confirm my claim) at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRp0GW3GVm8
If you need more confirmation here are a few things that I consider to be pretty unique to the Ballard family (and a few close friends):
Ballard vocabulary: Beezer (head), chukies (cookies), da Mow (a name for our cat, Mia), “he wooks wike a wion” (said just for fun), saying “I love cows, I love to eat cows” (any time you pass a cow in the car), da Dwardie (a name for out dow, Eddie), “the Barb” (what we call our mother, whose name is Barb), etc…
Actions/events: clavicle poking (a way to say hello), Balllard family scrabble rules (allowing all proper nouns, state abbreviations, the person with the longest word plays first, etc), Sound of Music sing-alongs (one of my favorite family memories), deviled egg tattoos (or hopes thereof), sleeping when people walk into the room (or in the middle of their sentence), the t-rex impression (my brother does it the best), ice cream and home improvement nights, putting our cat in a plastic grocery bag and saying to someone else “look what I found at the store”, rap cat impressions and sing-alongs, putting our cat outside on a leash, etc…
One thing that has become really clear is that the only place that I feel like I can be myself is at home with my crazy family. Thanks for being weird with me!
PS to Bonald: I stole you mean trick of putting peanut MMS in my glass of water and I started putting random things in my friends’ Naglenes. I am proud to say that now one of our favorite practical jokes is putting strange objects (date pits, forks, peanuts, sugar cubes, popcorn, etc) in the water bottles of other volunteers : )
5 Comments
January 10, 2009 at 2:41 pm
What a funny story. It sounds so weird to read, but unfortunately I totally understand what you are talking about! I don’t know if your new friends will “adopt” any of our crazes, it may take a certain group of people to appreciate. But I would start with “sleep”. That is so funny!
January 10, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Jason: “I didn’t know you could use state abbreviations!! You never told me that Ballard rule!” hahahaha
That’s too funny. I still enjoy rapcat, it has been awhile since I’ve seen the commercial. I couldn’t even remember what commercial our singing rapcow/pig/goat/snake came from. haha
Anyway, all your friends would have a lot more fun if they conformed to the Ballard insanity!
January 18, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I’ve always told you your family is unique! I miss hearing all your “ballardisms” and people still stare at Jessi and I when we say “chukies” (which I say as often as possible because I really like chukies) and I miss your t-rex impression and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a really good thriller dance!
February 18, 2009 at 4:51 am
Hey Laura,
I feel special I actualy heard all them stories, and know all them words. I get odd looks when I start a convosation with Dear friends… Yes I won’t let that end. I believe you have litteraly fallal assleep midsentance with me granted I always enjoyed talking at 2 am. I miss that that and late night chats online. Hope you come home to visit soon miss you.
February 19, 2009 at 6:20 am
Ahhh yes. The Ballardisms. Thank God for being able to Nana-Lee and Kelly and talk in your language. Whenever we “you wook wike a wion” speak, no one understands why we enjoy sounding like children who do not talk very good English. :) I vote you send a video of you doing the Thriller. Or even the T-rex. HA.
Miss you. Love you.