Talked to Roz earlier about being somewhere without language. She brought up that this is a good experience to have even if it’s frustrating and lonely because it drives home sympathy for waiters, counter attendants, etc in the US who have really thick accents/otherwise don’t speak English very well. Very good point (note to all readers: DON’T EVER give people crap because they don’t speak good English. You have no idea the effort that they’re putting into it), but I think that the analogue to that is more along the lines of France last summer, where I had enough command of the language to make an attempt, but not enough to succeed without a lot of patience on the part of whoever I was talking to. What I’m getting out of this is a huge new respect for refugees, uneducated, and, yes, illegal immigrants, who mostly come to the US without any language skills whatsoever, only they don’t have a semester of language classes two days away (almost there almost there!), or a freshly filled bank account (thank you Caltech!) and flexible return ticket, ready to speed them home if things get unpleasant, or an established local family that’s completely fluent in everything who’s job it is to feed them and shelter them and get them out of trouble (see the post below about how these people are incredible and constantly saving my butt). Instead they have a lot of work and fear, and little recourse.
Say what you will about breaking the law, taking our jobs, Polluting the National Stock etc. (actually, please don’t say anything about the latter two), but you have to really admire their courage and drive.
A Long Journey
15 years ago
2 comments:
Doesn't living in a country too often scorned or condemned in the US change your perspective? It's amazing how quickly our perceptions can change and how quickly we grow to love and appreciate it.
that roz sounds pretty smart!
Post a Comment