It's Sunday evening and I find myself tiding some papers and listening to Greek radio. I came accidentally across with the link to this radio station. I was very happy that it has a website so that you can listen the music online, without being physically in Thessaloniki, where this radio is broadcasting. Of course, everything and everyone has a website nowadays, as a Back End Developer, should have known better. Listening to the radio brought up memories from when I was in High school. This period of my life was a lot of studying. Going to school, extra tutoring classes and studying till late. By the end of the day, when I was off to bed, I would put on my headphones and I would listen to this station till I would fall asleep.
I miss listening to Greek radio. I should do it more often. I do sing some Greek songs now and then, but that becomes less and less regular. I miss speaking in my own language. I must confess that very often I need to think which is the right word to describe something, when I speak with my family. There are more Greeks at my job and it is really nice to grab the chance and speak in your own language once in a while. But once I do that, I hear immediately "Jij mag niet in Grieks praten, want is asociaal". Meaning "You may not speak in Greek, because is not social". Those are the people that live in their country speaking their own language. They don't understand how it feels like being a foreigner in a country you don't understand the language and how beautiful it feels to speak your own language when you can.
I am trying to learn the language, it would make my life so much easier! The first part is succeeded. I can make a descent small conversation with quite good pronunciation. That is a very useful survival skill. When something goes wrong, with the trains for example, then you know why. When you meet a new person, or need to ask directions, or need to go to the doctor. I read cooking recipes in Dutch and I can reply to a customer's email. But when people speak together or too fast then I'm lost. I don't know all the words. I understand what people are talking about, but not what they say. Dutch people often correlate my good pronunciation with the good knowledge of a language, and thus they believe that I hide my good knowledge of Dutch. Why on earth would I ever do that?
I miss listening to Greek radio. I should do it more often. I do sing some Greek songs now and then, but that becomes less and less regular. I miss speaking in my own language. I must confess that very often I need to think which is the right word to describe something, when I speak with my family. There are more Greeks at my job and it is really nice to grab the chance and speak in your own language once in a while. But once I do that, I hear immediately "Jij mag niet in Grieks praten, want is asociaal". Meaning "You may not speak in Greek, because is not social". Those are the people that live in their country speaking their own language. They don't understand how it feels like being a foreigner in a country you don't understand the language and how beautiful it feels to speak your own language when you can.
I am trying to learn the language, it would make my life so much easier! The first part is succeeded. I can make a descent small conversation with quite good pronunciation. That is a very useful survival skill. When something goes wrong, with the trains for example, then you know why. When you meet a new person, or need to ask directions, or need to go to the doctor. I read cooking recipes in Dutch and I can reply to a customer's email. But when people speak together or too fast then I'm lost. I don't know all the words. I understand what people are talking about, but not what they say. Dutch people often correlate my good pronunciation with the good knowledge of a language, and thus they believe that I hide my good knowledge of Dutch. Why on earth would I ever do that?
In my dancing class I don't know which leg to move and to which direction, because of the language. At my job I cannot participate in all meetings or conversations because of the language. In family gatherings I get bored because I don't understand the language. But I am trying! People believe that it is my duty to learn the language, and that they can speak the language to me so that I can learn it. Like is that easy!
However, it does feel good to be a foreigner in another country! To know how much broader your mind is and how much experience you gain in comparison with the native people. Learning to adapt, learning the culture and the history, better even than them, exactly because it is interesting and new, while for them is the default. It is difficult to be the different one and there is so much pressure on you, but it is good to be different!
However, it does feel good to be a foreigner in another country! To know how much broader your mind is and how much experience you gain in comparison with the native people. Learning to adapt, learning the culture and the history, better even than them, exactly because it is interesting and new, while for them is the default. It is difficult to be the different one and there is so much pressure on you, but it is good to be different!
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