My Own United Nations

Tonight was a typical night. Cat cooked dinner for some friends, just a simple pasta and salad kind of thing. It was great because as we were all just hanging about beforehand, helping to chop, I realized how in the span of seven months just how close I had drawn to these people. Things are simple and inevitably really funny when I’m in their company and whatever internal moaning I had been engaged in about my essays or my dissertation, I let them go. (So, even though none of them actually read this blog, thanks.)

We had finished off the pasta and salad, what would have been the leftovers of a more disciplined group. The conversation was fun, but I don’t remember the specifics. Someone brought up dessert and having been talking about languages, Eva thought it a good idea to go around the table and say “Are we going to have dessert?” in our respective foreign languages.

I started with Estonian.

Then Max from South Africa asked in Afrikaans.

Julie speaks fluent Japanese.

Eva speaks Greek, owing to her family heritage.

Cat piped in with her native French.

And, finally, Kammy offered the phrase in both Mandarin and Cantonese, for she was born and lived in China until she was 12.

It struck me how special this was. Language utility is so important. Not for business or even to show off, but because it means you’re humble. While English will get you pretty far, it won’t take you everywhere. The process of acquiring a language, from the classroom to immersion is an adventure in itself, not to mention the doors that are opened in the process.

I’ve been thinking that Spanish will be next.



Pictured: Chris, Andy, Paul, me, Kammy and Max