Papiamento Help

[lec27]

...but so far I only know the bad words

Hi all, I'm from New York City and my boyfriend and I, after a year of flying back and forth between AUA and NYC, have recently started making plans for me to move down there for a short period of time (within the 3 - 6 month time limit for a tourist) in September to see if we can handle a non-long distance relationship. My boyfriend is an Aruban national and is employed full-time. I've read ad nausea the limitations for getting a work permit, so I really don't have any questions about that (except if anyone knows anyone looking to hire a top-25 university grad with 2 years of experience corporate event planning and one year in high-end wedding planning....*ahem* shameless plug *ahem*).

What I do need to know is WHAT am I not thinking about by quitting my job and moving and living as a tourist for 3-6 months. I have enough savings to be unemployed for some time down there and my boyfriend is already on top of looking at suitable apartments (he's in one in Nunez right now, but it's a lot of space for just the two of us). But my mom keeps reminding me about health insurance and having prescriptions filled and opening a bank account and purchasing a car and getting THAT insured, especially if I'm not a resident and therefore don't pay taxes. Does anyone have any advice of things I should be thinking about in the next few months (especially those of you who are there for 6 months at a time). What are the limitations if I happen to get sponsored for a work visa while I'm down there? Am I allowed to do that as a tourist on the island? I've been to the island four times this year, so have seen a good deal of it, but do you have any rumination on culture shock or any frustrating cultural misunderstandings or experiences as a non-Aruban living on the island? I've already committed a couple cultural faux-pas' of my own, but I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's stories.

Thanks so much for all your advice!

[lizzardo]

I know that there are wedding planners at the hotels - you might
want to check that category to get names and contacts.

As for papimento - I have taken 2 classes in it. It is a very
'subtle' language and I am very leary to speak it. I generally
listen. And as with learning any language - you always learn
(and remember) the stuff you should not say. My teachers wouldn't
even tell me them because of that.

As for your other issues - they sound purely personal on your part.
It's up to you. As moving to any new place, you will prob. spend
some time dependent on your boyfriend until you get your bearings.
It's a hard thing to do. But there are organizations on the island
where you can meet fellow ex-pats here that might help. One
is called the international friends of Aruba. Might want to contact
them.

Good luck to you whatever you choose to do! Matters of the heart
are never easy!

[tangy003]

Now someone correct me if I'm wrong.This language is actually several languages all rolled into one??Right?

I would like to start speaking just more then words and fragments.Does anyone know of a source for this?I checked Rosetta Stone and they don't have papiamento.Any ideas?Books maybe?Dictionary?Any help is appreciated.Thanks.

[Andrea J.]

from wikipedia (not that wiki is always accurate so bear that in mind)

Papiamento (or Papiamentu) is the official and most widely spoken language on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called "ABC islands"). Papiamento is also spoken on the island of Sint Eustatius.
Papiamento is a creole language derived from the Portuguese language[2] with vocabulary influences from African languages, English and Arawak native languages.

[DushiHeidi]

Papiamento is a mix of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English and French, as well as Arawak and African languages. It is spoken in Curacao, Bonaire, and Aruba. I dont know of any where you can buy books. I'll ask my friends mom because she teaches it.

[lizzardo]

The only books we have found on it is at the Andraco/Samson
book store and other local book stores here. Most books
I think are printed by a small publisher or the author themselves.

Heidi - that's awesome that your mom teaches it! We had 2
teachers and are still tiki tiki!

[Arubalisa]

If you google "papiamentu" on www.amazon.com you will find a number of available resources-- cd's, videos and books.

[tangy003]

Thanks guys/girls.

[mac]

on our jan-feb trip to divi village i took a remote control pickup truck. had a friend make balashi stickers for the sides and strapped a 12 pak cooler on the back. then delivered beers around the pool to friends. mr griffin the manager saw it and came over laughing. he took pictures and it ended up in the diaria paper the next day. only problem is that i don't speak papiamento. if i can figure out how to scan and email it, could anyone do a translation? i tried on wikipedia and that didn't work. any help would be appreciated

[Mr. Ratt]

If you're in Aruba, or know someone who's there, you can find a book in most of the tourist shops within the hotels, I believe they're DeWit & VanDorp stores, it's a Papiamento guide in Four Languages. Blue cover with a picture of the island and a flag, pretty cool and very helpful if you're trying to pick up the language. Phrases and that sort of thing.
Papiamento, Dutch, English and Spanish. I believe it was 17.10 Florins, sorry, don't recall the price in dollars. I actually got my copy at the DeWit shop at the airport.