Freddy Ferrer: Lost In Translation
Who knew so many of you speak Swedish? After something like 472 emails, we have a pretty good handle on what our boy Freddy was saying in his gay Swedish personal. First, and most important, sambo there apparently means something very different than sambo here. (In Sweden, it seems, it means living together.) Here's the full translation, from one emailer:
Name: Fernando Ferrer. Age 43. Lives: Hammarbyh jden. (a suburb of Stockholm). Grew up: Camaguey, Cuba. Marital Status: Domestic Partnership. (Civilst nd is marital status in Swedish and "sambo" literally means "livestogether"). Job: Nurse's aid. Came out: 1987. Last movie viewed: "The guy in the grave next to me" (No idea what movie this is, probably the Swedish translation of an English language movie. Shallow grave??) CD in currently in my stereo: Il Divo's " Ancora. When I go out I like to go to: "Club Connection" or "Lino" (again, don't ask — I haven't lived in Stockholm for six years.) TV show I never miss: Idol, so now I'll have to find some other show to watch. (Idol is the Swedish version of American Idol.) Three words that describe me: happy, calm, and honest. On my bedside table: The Pyramid by Henning Mankell. My qruiser handle: AMIGOKOM. (qruiser is a gay Swedish chatroom and amigokom translates roughly to amigocum.)
And another translator points out the significance of his new profession. "One might say that Ferrer has moved up in the world — New York City politics to low-ranking nurse in Sweden."
So good for you, Freddy. Enjoy your new country, your new career, your new orientation, and, of course, a social-safety net you could only dream about here in New York. Godspeed, Amigocum.
