A Dozen Languages

I’m a logophile–but it doesn’t make me a linguist. And so I had to embrace challenges that every learner has to go through–tried to speak other tongues along with hard work and perseverance–now it is the twelfth one to enjoy.

This time I am leaning Lao. And if not for this interesting effort, I don’t think would be able to enjoy my travel and adventure. More than this, I am beginning to appreciate the kindness of the locals–my angels for this specific journey–through a spoken language.

A friend I met along the trip and I had an adventure. We both don’t speak the insider’s language and so it took us a little bit longer to figure out our destination including the right fare. My little know-how in Thai helped it work out. From there we were able to experience another epic moment.   

One can take a journey for a million times, but it is not always fulfilling having no other languages known or spoken. It is empty still–unsatisfying. For how come one has the courage to travel or migrate and yet isn’t bothered as a monolingual?   

By learning a dozen languages I was able to grasp the hearts and minds of sojourners like me–bridged by each respective lingo–only then the hidden meaning of a seemingly obvious implication and intention is perceived–whether or not from genuine angels. 

“Do they speak English in that country?” My selfishness inquires usually. This is when I realized I had to rephrase the question and ask myself, “Are you willing to learn and speak their language?”

Having a gift in learning languages doesn’t always count, but it’s the willingness of the heart to try knowing that every language requires diligence. It’s like singing a song, one has to learn it first–for even a gifted singer does the same ritual or habit.       

Few days ago I posted a message on my timeline about my experience learning a new language–the interestingly bright side–only willing individuals can relate. Lo and behold, only a few interested friends left some comments–the rest were silent.

My journey with angels in many cases starts with expressing a genuine fascination for someone’s existing dialect or lingo, and this makes a company more welcoming and enthralling. And for every language I had learned came magic–a life-changing experience I am forever grateful for.  

It is a lifetime scenario I think–it is never a mug up attempt. That is why I’m still into it wherever I go. And when collecting phrases wasn’t just enough, I went beyond. I speak them. That’s when I fully fathom that love indeed is expressed in any language.

P.S. You don’t have to learn as many as languages unnecessarily unless it is your hobby.