This is a post I stared when we first arrived in France, which is why it kind of goes back to the start of our trip and then to now and back again etc.
I am envious of people who can speak more than one language. When you meet Europeans, in particular, they can often speak a minimum of 3 then speak or understand more. If they say 'I speak a little English' then they have better grammar than you do. I tried to pronounce Flemish words and pretty much failed. When you listen to it spoken doesn't sound as hard as German to me but similar. I have had the conversation with my Spanish friends before that 'American English' seems to be spoken more at the back of the mouth and Spanish is at the tip of the tongue. Flemish seems to be with the front of the tongue but maybe at the roof of the mouth. When I can get a word right it feels like my tongue is dancing. I have teased them that I can throw in a t, k or q sound in the middle of the word then maybe a en or ir on the end and make it Flemish.
In France I felt like I could glean the written words but not always understand the words spoken. They letters they pronounce disappear to my ears but they say they are saying them. I expected to understand more Italian because of my ability to get by in Spanish (notice I say get by not conversational). That was not so for me at all. I was trying to say the word for lemon in Spanish to Gesi's mom then I tried French (not knowing it in Italian or Albanian) then come to find it's lemon with an accent.
When we first left Belgium it felt like if we had just been there a bit longer I could start to make sense of what I was hearing. You can get the gist of a conversation even if you don't know the words but you can also be really really wrong about what you THINK is being spoken about. Today I wonder how I could have thought that. On my morning run today, one of Paul's class mates had a shirt that said Hakuna Matata (like the lion king, no worries) and when we returned from the run the man at her front desk said nice shirt. Then she asked him what Hakuna (then some other word, I have no idea how someone can remember words like that) and it turned out someone had said 'nice boobies' to her. I tried to re-tell that story, upon the return here, to Paul. I couldn't get Hakuna matata quite right and was asking Grace how it is said. She was pausing and saying 'who said that to you? What are you trying to say? What in English?' But I couldn't remember exactly what that translated to. She said 'no, you are saying something bad'. Then I figured out what I wanted to say and she was like 'oh, okay yes that is fine'. She went giggling off into the kitchen and kept laughing. Paul and I were wondering what I had ended up saying. Moments later when he left the room she whispered to me what I had said. Turns out if you change one letter in Hakuna you are talking a woman's private parts. So close yet, so very wrong.
So far I think we haven't had any giant mistakes. L-man and I each had some missteps on our first showers in Belgium. He washed then conditioned with two types of liquid body soap where as I choose to shampoo with conditioner, then condition with facial soap, finally I washed with a bar of special soap for the skin we got that all clarified pretty quick.
I just asked the kids what is it like to be somewhere you can not speak the language.
O says:
It's like being normal, it's normal, but it's like a different dimension. Everything is kind of the same but not the same at all. You can kind of understand what people are talking about by looking around.
Me: The above is when we were in Belgium. Bellow is me asking now, in Tanzania. I re-asked the same question.
O: It's the same as Mexico kind of. Because we have been there enough, it feels the same. Maybe further along in the trip it might be different because it will be a really long time instead of just a few weeks.
Me: You realize it has been more than a few weeks now? It's been 5 weeks.
O: Here in Africa (feeling like a few weeks), Europe was kind of like America. So, it didn't feel that different. Because everyone mostly spoke English. It's just like being at a friend's house who's parents are immigrants.
Me: Ok- that is interesting for you to say because I think more people here speak English than some of the other places we were before. Are you talking about speaking English or the familiarity of the cultural expectation?
O: The culture felt more familiar and everyone there was more familiar because of Lennie and Gesi.
Me: What is the biggest cultural difference you notice here?
O: Europe and here?
Me: Either Europe and here or Home and here.
O: Ummm I would have to say home and here.
Me: What is the biggest difference you noticed
O: Sanitary things.
Me: Like what?
O: Like trash burning and stuff like that.(I think he also mean because trash can just be a pile on the ground, and you feel like you are just littering).
Me: What other things do you mean by 'stuff like that'.
O: America and Europe feel cleaner than here.
Me: Just because you see less trash on the ground at home?
O: Yeah, and kind of maybe because in America things are put together more smoothly and you don't see as much the stuff that is holding everything together. But it is different than Mexico because you don't see re-bar sticking out everywhere.
L says:
It's kind of normal for me because we've been in Mexico and it's slightly normal because they speak Spanish.*
*meaning he has been around people not speaking English.
Me: Same as O, the above being Belgium, below being now.
L: I feel fine because I have been in a lot of different languages that speak different languages.
Me: What if you need help?
L: Most people speak English.
Me: Is that okay to assume?
L: I am not assuming it just saying most people do.
Me: Do you mean they are fluent?
L: Depends on who you talk to.
Me: What do you do if someone doesn't speak English, has that happened to you?
L: It hasn't happened yet.
Me: Have you seen me trying to talk to someone who doesn't?
L: (giggle) yes. (Oso next to him laughs too).
Me: Why did you giggle?
L: I didn't giggle, I just laughed. Because Gesi thought it was funny when you tried to talk to her mom.
When I ask what they think it must be like for someone to come to the US and not speak any English (like an exchange student):
O: It would be really hard, like going to an Alien plant. You wouldn't understand anything. But then again why would you go to America if you couldn't speak English.
Me: Well we travel to places where we don't speak the language.
O: Yeah but mostly when we go mostly lots of stuff is in English.
Me: So what if you want to go to the US?
O: I don't know. Learn English or get someone to translate.
Me: Why should someone have to learn English to come to the US?
O: No you don't have to learn it.
Me: Do you think it's easy to come to the US or to go together places?
O: Maybe go other places.
Me: Do you imagine people in the US are very friendly or helpful to people who come who don't speak English?
O: Not really.
Me: Why?
O: I don't know just how Americans are.
Me: Well are you saying that because you think most Americans don't speak other languages besides English?
O: And Spanish.
At this point I am a little surprised at his answers and we just had a conversation. The point he was trying to make was that the US is very large and in the other parts of the world that we have so far traveled they are used to more cultural diversity than we are.
This is interesting to me as well, since we, the US, is the 'melting pot' where so many different things come together and I have noticed that the US culture places so much value on independence and doing whatever you want. In some of the other places we have been they are used to people all doing things a specific way but they are used to seeing other travelers with other languages and culture........
Here is for L and what it might be like.
L: Same thing that I feel kind of except it depends on the student. I have traveled to Mexico and I am used to being places where people don't understand me.
M: Have you felt confused about how things are done at any point on this trip yet?
L: Yes. Uh. Probably that you have to tell when you want when you want your food, when you order food to be delivered in Africa. You have to tell him when you want it. Because we ordered it at about 5 and it didn't come until about 7 (meaning it isn't like America when they food will be made when ordered and delivered at next time ready depending on how busy they are with other orders). You have to pay for bathrooms and water. I thought it was interesting if you had a train ticket you just have to validate it and use it, you don't have to buy it for a specific time.
I realize I should have asked them if they notice that everywhere we go people have known a measure of English but there are many people in the US who only know English and no other language and don't even attempt to try. As I make this statement I realize I am saying it from the experience of living in Oregon and Colorado and not the East coast or some other really big culturally diverse city, I may totally be putting my foot in my mouth. I also wonder if they are slightly buffered by some of what I am asking since I am the one who has been figuring things out, finding the way and following the map, so to speak.
I say, I totally can relate now to how hard it must be the first few months. Here it's not even like I am trying to speak with everyone in Swahili but I try and my brain feels fogged up. I only know how to say a few scripted things and if you respond to me off my script then I have no idea what you are saying. It is the same in Spanish. I know what to say or ask then they give me a slightly different answer or try to ask me something else and I am lost.
