I finally started feeling better yesterday, and although I didn't teach during the day (boss lady got hold of a substitute, because my voice was trashed) I went out in the evening to a Hospitality Club meeting to meet some new and old friends. I had a nice time and stayed for a few hours, but when everyone around me seemed to be lighting up cigarettes, I decided to leave, because my throat was too freshly pain free to risk hanging around. Most of the people had been gabbing in Polish all night, except for the ones that were talking directly to me. While I was putting my coat on, someone asked me how my Polish was coming along, and I tried to answer in Polish, but for some reason, my brain just wasn't working, and I answered very haltingly... one word at a time, with everyone supplying me with words to get through my answer. When I finished, there was a split second of silence, and then the whole group burst out in an enthusiastic round of applause. I smiled at the smiling faces around me, took a deep bow, and said goodnight. God bless the Polish!
Comments
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polarheart said on Feb 18, 2007....
Well done, Kruu, I admire your -
polarheart said on Feb 18, 2007....
Sorry, obviously got cut short there, the rest of the sentence was:"courage to speak in a different language. I take my hat off to you \:¬) -
kruuyai said on Feb 18, 2007....
oh, polar... it was really pathetic. :) -
gingersoul said on Feb 18, 2007....
Kruu....LOL...
It reminds me what happened to me when i came here to visit my ex husband's family for the very first time....the first day i simply kept smiling and nodding all the time..i tought, ok, if i smile i am projecting that i am fine, that i like them, that i am happy, i dont need to talk... ....i wasn't confident in my English at all .. .
The second day though my ex left me alone with them saying he needed to drive to town to buy something...i thought he did it on purpose but he didnt give me way to go along with him....so i couldn't rely on him anymore....
we were having lemonade ouside the porch ..and they were asking me a bunch of questions and they were so nice that i couldn't possibly avoid to answer.....and so i gather all my shameless courage and burst out my firs English conversation with them...i even made some jokes.....
They were so surprised i was actually speaking English that well and so relieved we could communicate somehow ......when he went back everybody were talking how great i was with the language and were patting on my shoulder....my ex was just grinning....he told me he did indeed left me alone on purpose...but he did good...
Good, because my jaw was leiterrally burning for all those smiles......LOL...
Good for you too, Kruu........the Polish sky is the limit now...lol
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silverwhisper said on Feb 18, 2007....
you know what's funny? IMX, a drink or two helps you relax just enough not to be so self-conscious when speaking another language.
ed -
beyondtheveil said on Feb 18, 2007....
Sounds like you've met some neat people, kruu.Situations like that make the ones in your position feel good and possibly the other ones feel even better. -
gingersoul said on Feb 18, 2007....
SW........oh yes, they definetely help......i know it very well....lol...
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Jenna said on Feb 18, 2007....
Kruu...bravo...I am clapping for you too! -
satyr said on Feb 18, 2007....
Congrats, kruu. LOL - I dated a girl of Polish heritage when I was in high school. Her grandfather had come over, and her mother was teaching all the kids Polish to help keep the heritage alive. The only word I remember is anjou, the spelling I'm not sure of, but it's pronounced an'-yo and means angel. Keep up the good work :-) -
secretlife said on Feb 18, 2007....
glad you're feeling better..next time you'll do better! wait and see.... -
dailyachesandpains said on Feb 18, 2007....
YAY KRUU!!!!Glad you're feeling better too!I wish I was there :-( Maybe some day!Daily -
husbandhater said on Feb 18, 2007....
God Kru I'd love to trade lives with you and travel the world. How is Poland? Do you find the language is difficult to pick up?( What was the easiest one by the way?) Are you cold there? You did well! -
kruuyai said on Feb 19, 2007....
ginger: Yep, sometimes, all it takes is a little confidence... and people are generally a lot less critical of our efforts than we are ourselves. One thing that makes it difficult, though, is that i meet all these Polish people who tell me that their English is terrible, and then they start talking, and it sounds like they've lived in the States for 20 years.
ed: It probably would. I was the only one who wasn't drinking a beer too (hey, I just had a thunk.. maybe that's why my audience was so accepting... their judgement was impaired..lol). I was still trying to soothe my throat with a warm tea. Those beers sure did look tempting though. Maybe tonight at the salsa dancing place.
beyond: I really have met some amazingly fantastic people. I would highly recommend to anyone who is travelling or relocating to another country or even to another city, to join the hospitality club and contact the members there. It's the best way to meet some very interesting local people. Here's the link.
Jenna: Thank you. *kruu gives a cutesy curtsie*
satyr: Hey, thanks for teaching me a new word. That was a good one to know while you were dating, I'm sure.
secret: I'll keep you posted... you know I will.
daily: I think the springtime would be the best time to see Poland. I'm really looking forward to it here. In my city, they say there are magnolia trees everywhere. It must be gorgeous when they're all flowering. There's also a huge cemetery that has trees and plants from all over the world.
hh: Poland is great. I'm enjoying it much more than I did Mexico. It just feels like home in so many ways. Yes, I am finding the language extremely difficult to pick up. And I'm good at languages. But they say that Polish is one of the five most difficult languages in the world, and I believe it. It's very inconsistent, and I still don't have a handle on the grammar. The easiest language I ever learned... I would have to say Italian, even though Spanish is a much easier language, but since I was already fluent in Spanish when I started to study Italian, the grammar and vocabulary just kind of fell into place for me, because of the similarity of the two languages... but I haven't had an opportunity to really use it, except for a one-hour conversation I had with some Italian girls that were visiting Mexico... and ginger will concur that I still make a lot of mistakes in my writing... especially when aided by computer translating programs such as babelfish... lol... but I think within a few weeks of being in the country, I'd be doing pretty well.
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skald said on Feb 19, 2007....
Just wanted to say hello. -
kruuyai said on Feb 19, 2007....
Hi skald, thanks for stopping by. -
harriedpsychmajor said on Feb 19, 2007....
Wow, I definitely applaud you. I've taken Spanish three years in high school, and three semesters at college. I'm pretty much fluent until I leave the classroom. I don't know why but everything I learn about Spanish leaves me when I leave the class. I guess it comes from when people are expecting me to perform.
My dad would flip on the Spanish channel and expect me to translate, and he'd do it to piss me off.
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mom said on Feb 19, 2007....
I admire anyone who is willing to try and speak a different language. It will take time so be patient with yourself -
kruuyai said on Feb 20, 2007....
harried: Simultaneous interpretation is one of the most difficult things you can do with language. You'd have to be truly bilingual (not just fluent) in both languages in order to be able to do it, and then, you still have to have the concentration to be able to listen to one person and talk to the other at the same time. Same thing for interpreting TV shows. I used to try to summarize the telenovelas for my boyfriend, and even that was hard. I studied Spanish for 20 years before I ever went to a Spanish speaking country, and I didn't know if I could speak or not, but when I went to Guatemala and there was no one who spoke English, it just flowed out. I imagine the same would be true for you. But when you have to speak as a "performance" i.e., someone says "say something in Spanish" it all goes out the window.
mom: you ain't a kidding. I may have to stay here an extra year! :)
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