If you’ve read many of my blogs you probably saw me comment one time or another about my joy in trying, but total inability to comprehend and speak a foreign language.
Going into this trip I didn’t know what to expect, I was starting in England where they speak you know, English. Then onto France a language I have never even come close to comprehending, I mean come on, just try spelling polly vue. Then Germany, Ok finally a country whose language I studied for 3 years in high school. I can already count to 10, say good day, thank you, yes, and please. This might be the time I finally shine.
When I travel and arrive in a country, I no longer expect to understand the language. So getting off the plane first in England, being able to read the signs, finding directions to the Tube/Underground, and navigating to my destination was all pretty easy, but strange. Kinda boring. I missed the excitement, the challenge.
The issues came when I started speaking with the Brits. Generally I couldn’t understand a damn thing they said and had to ask them to repeat everything. I flat out apologized to my friend who hosted me. After asking him to repeat something for the upteenth time during a day, I just finally admitted to him that I didn’t understand a word he said. If this was my language, it didn’t bode well for the rest of my trip.
Now for whatever reason, when I travel I start wanting to speak Spanish. Not sure why but this has been the case ever since I started these trips, I have always just associated travel with speaking Spanish. I travel and I just start saying hola and gracias. Nevermind the fact that after all these years my ability to speak Spanish has barely progressed past those two words. But, when I travel, it’s Spanish time.
So here I am in England, I can read and speak to everybody, they understand me and I understand them (a little), and I’m responding in a language I can’t even speak. Get me to France.
In France I of course am still speaking Spanish but at least they’re speaking a foreign language to me. However, I did notice that maybe my Spanish skills have improved more than I thought. As I saw French words, I was able to understand the similarities to Spanish words and somehow knew the meaning, in both languages.
Two of my days in France I spent in Paris with Albane, a friend that I met and traveled with previously in South America. We had a great time during those two days and, I had my own personal interpreter. Wherever we went, whatever we were ordering, I just smiled and let her do the work. She helped me some and my French vocab doubled…from three to six words. During my final two days in France the oui’s and the merci’s were flowing through my lips like a true Parisian (well, maybe more like someone from Paris, N.Y.)
However, when she spoke English I understood every word she said. She, born and raised in Paris, never lived anywhere else, and I somehow could understand her English better than all the people in the English speaking country I just left. Huh!!
So now on to Germany. The place where my education is gonna really come through. The land of eince, zvei, veir, ja, and niene. I already knew most of the basic words, spoke them daily for years.
What happens..I’m responding to people in French. The only language I speak worse than Spanish. I barely spoke the language when I was in the country but now that I’m in Germany, I can’t stop. It’s oui this and merci that (with a gracias thrown in every now and then). Hello is hallo in German, so close to English, yet for whatever reason now I start saying bonjour.
At this rate I should be fluent in German…right after I get to Italy.
My one big chance to utilize my German skills was when I was ordering beers at the monastery. I figured I could carry six steins so that’s what I would order, plus a bonus, I definitely know how to say all of this in German, no problem. I’m excited. And right before I get to the front of the line I see Kris, so now I’m ordering eleven beers. The problem is I can count to 10 in German, but I have no idea what 11 is. Needless to say, my ordering did not go smoothly. Damn Spinal Tap.
Life is good!