Unexpected Language Difficulties

Now I have a cold. I suppose it’s due to such extreme differences in climate. I had to wear pj’s for bed last night. Anne’s house, like every other in Australia, has no central heating or double glazing. My hands are freezing even indoors. I am grateful however that Anne offered to let us stay at her apartment until I found a place of my own. Despite the fact that Anne has only recently moved into her apartment (three weeks ago) and has very little furniture, it’s so nice to be in a home for once. Even the smallest of pleasures like a cup of coffee first thing in the morning is so comforting not to mention a nice clean hot shower (that actually works).

Ali and I went shopping today to buy warm clothes. A ‘hoodie’ to be specific. It was such a strange feeling to be in such a developed city again. A place that thrives with capitalism. I needed restraining again and luckily Ali was only too happy to help. “What do you need another t-shirt for?…You don’t need one of those do you?.” We ran around the mall for hours searching frantically for the perfect sweatshirt before they closed when I started experiencing something strange. I was having problems speaking to people and even the sales assistants were proving to be a challenge for me. A familiar problem that I remember occurring in Chicago when I first moved there. I seem to have lost my local tongue. Probably from not using it for some time. Let me explain…since traveling around southeast Asia we have encountered many language barriers and the result of which has stripped me of the ability to speak with personality. For example, when I was in China I used only very simple words – almost like conversing with a baby – because locals naturally don’t speak English very well and can’t understand even the smallest deviation from proper pronunciation or vocabulary. Basically, you can’t speak slang or infuse humor into a remark. So after a while you just get used to speaking like an infant. Now, all of a sudden I’m faced with an Australian sales assistant in a jeans shop asking the most simplest of questions “Hey, how’s it going?” and I hesitate to think of a response. I start searching in my head for that lost vocabulary, accent and personality that I once had. I can’t tell you how strange it is to be so self-conscious about how you talk. At 5pm the shops closed. I found a sweater just in time but Ali wasn’t so fortunate. By the time she had decided it was too late to go back and get the one she liked. Well, at least one of us will be warm tonight.