A Roomful Of Perspective
India, Syria, Lebanon, the Philippines and the United States. Those are the
countries of origin represented at our neighbor's home where we had dinner and
wine on a recent Saturday night. Although we mostly avoided political
conversation, we did talk about life and culture in these various countries.
Of the nine people there, five are immigrants. All legal. All now American citizens. All college educated and employed in professional jobs. One lived through war in Lebanon. One has lived in at least two other countries. All five speak more than one language. They all love our country and all are appropriately critical of certain aspects of life here, as they should be. All love the freedom to be opinionated. All are grateful for the opportunities they have here. All are concerned about some family members who still live in their home countries and are sometimes mildly concerned about their own safety here.
That is some awesome perspective and I enjoy discussing their take on issues and life.
One thing that strikes me every time I get to know someone from another country is their multi-lingualism. Our American culture is such that most of us, at least those of the boomer era, only speak one language: American English. I do believe a country is more unified when there is a dominant language but I also believe the reality of our increasingly global world is such that we should speak other languages too, so we can better understand and communicate with our brothers and sisters around the world. (Side note: do other languages have run on sentences like that last one?)
I began language lessons in four other tongues at times in my life, yet I still only speak English. It's one of my few regrets in life. We're never too old to learn another language but it is definitely more difficult to do so as we grow older. If I had stuck with it, I'd be fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and Latin. Latin isn't really a spoken language but studying it could help with learning the other three.
Many articles on creative aging point to the mental advantages of learning a new language. Different parts of the brain are stimulated by such a pursuit, potentially delaying or even reversing dementia. In addition, conversing with someone in another language can be a stimulating social experience.
Two of my dinner companions the other night speak French. That conversation could be fun. One of them also speaks Spanish, another language I could have learned. Italian isn't very practical on a day-to-day basis but it connects to my family heritage as well as a bucket list vacation item.
Meanwhile I enjoy the perspective of spending time with friends who are rooted in cultures other than mine. The perspective is priceless.
Of the nine people there, five are immigrants. All legal. All now American citizens. All college educated and employed in professional jobs. One lived through war in Lebanon. One has lived in at least two other countries. All five speak more than one language. They all love our country and all are appropriately critical of certain aspects of life here, as they should be. All love the freedom to be opinionated. All are grateful for the opportunities they have here. All are concerned about some family members who still live in their home countries and are sometimes mildly concerned about their own safety here.
That is some awesome perspective and I enjoy discussing their take on issues and life.
One thing that strikes me every time I get to know someone from another country is their multi-lingualism. Our American culture is such that most of us, at least those of the boomer era, only speak one language: American English. I do believe a country is more unified when there is a dominant language but I also believe the reality of our increasingly global world is such that we should speak other languages too, so we can better understand and communicate with our brothers and sisters around the world. (Side note: do other languages have run on sentences like that last one?)
I began language lessons in four other tongues at times in my life, yet I still only speak English. It's one of my few regrets in life. We're never too old to learn another language but it is definitely more difficult to do so as we grow older. If I had stuck with it, I'd be fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and Latin. Latin isn't really a spoken language but studying it could help with learning the other three.
Many articles on creative aging point to the mental advantages of learning a new language. Different parts of the brain are stimulated by such a pursuit, potentially delaying or even reversing dementia. In addition, conversing with someone in another language can be a stimulating social experience.
Two of my dinner companions the other night speak French. That conversation could be fun. One of them also speaks Spanish, another language I could have learned. Italian isn't very practical on a day-to-day basis but it connects to my family heritage as well as a bucket list vacation item.
Meanwhile I enjoy the perspective of spending time with friends who are rooted in cultures other than mine. The perspective is priceless.
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