Since 2007, Andres and I embraced a live abroad, where people around us did not speak nor understand our first language. First in Germany, and now in the US, we have been struggling at times trying to explain ourselves in a different language than spanish. And, like many other people in the world, we have had our good times, when we achieve the goals of understanding and explaining our thoughts correctly; but there are also some moments of frustration and embarrassment, where we can't understand something or when we make mistakes. It is hard, but it is also fun. living a life abroad in a different country means so much, that I would like to focus this entry on some related topics that in my opinion are interesting.
I want to start with the hard side, not because it is the most important, but it is the one I want to give arguments to fight against in the next paragraphs. Living in a different country and speaking a different language is hard at times: for example, talking on the phone is much harder than speaking face to face, since people tend to use the body language to complement their words, and that way is easier to understand what they try to say. On the phone, you don't get the reaction of other person, thus you can't be sure if he understood your message. Another difficult moment is when talking about a topic you don't know the vocabulary for, as an example, at the doctor. It is embarrassing having to talk as a child, ignoring the technical terms needed to explain the situation correctly. Or talking under stress, when we tend to give less attention to the message than normal, usually we make mistakes, and need to focus again on the subject. An example is when talking to a big public, especially the beginning is hard, because we are so focused in not making mistakes in front of so many people, than we give less attention to our message.
Now, from a different (and more positive) point of view. Speaking a foreign language is challenging, and therefore interesting. As every time you master something new, you feel euphoric for the achievement. In languages, it is the same. For this reason, your everyday is other but ordinary, since there are always new jokes that you understand, new expressions that make sense. You are more awake, since there are many things that you would not understand if you weren't. And this means that everything is lived more lively, jokes are funnier, movies are better, and people are more interesting. Or at least, that is the impression you get, because you are paying more attention than in your mother language.
It is also fun (but not always positive) when you manage the language good enough to be able to distinguish different accents within the language. The first reaction I always have is to learn the slang words, sometimes incorrect, and use them all the time. This is very funny for the locals to hear, since a person learning a foreign language is supposed to have neutral accent and try to speak very correctly. I remember in Germany when I tried to speak "schwaebisch" (weisch?). I also try my American accent (tsup dud'? for what's up dude or 'mrka for america). The problem is that once you start with slang words, even though you know it is incorrect, it is hard to go back and saying it correctly. So, be careful with that.
Living in a multi-language environment is also very variable, some days you feel you can give a speech about quantum mechanics, and the next day you are not able to buy bread. It depends on many factors, what is your mood, how many things you have in mind, how tired you are, ... and sometimes even how nervous the person in front of you make you feel. The more confidence you have with this person, the easier the conversation is. However, if you just met somebody or if you are talking to someone that makes you anxious, chances are you are going to make more mistakes than usual.
But don't worry, people don't get upset when you try to speak their language. The impression I have from 99% of the situations where I had trouble explaining myself, people have been very patient and showing gratitude that I made the efforts to communicate in their language. In my experience, trying to say something and failing is always better than remaining silent in order not to make mistakes. I am sure I make around 200 mistakes a day.
I can't speak for the people that speak more than just the three languages I can, but I am almost certain that they think similarly: speaking a foreign language is a delight for the brain, it is a challenge, a puzzle, a game for every day, and I love it as much as I love speaking spanish (which is a lot).
As the last point, trying to build the same personal character in all languages requires a lot of work, but it is worth trying to do the jokes you would normally do, and express everything as it comes. It is real fun, at you will feel different at first, but they will always accept you how you are.
I hope this entry was interesting, some of you just pass though the same things every day, for the others, hopefully I could make it clear how this experience is, maybe you feel motivated and want to do the same :)
Thanks for reading,
Lita& Andres
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