I was standing in line behind a man this morning--30s, I suppose, maybe pushing 40--who turned and greeted me with a passing pleasantry, and I noted what seemed to be quite clearly an American accent, West Coast to be precise. So I asked where he was from, thinking that I'd get some locale in the US in answer.
"I'm from The Netherlands," he answered.
"Good Lord, your English is perfect!" I exclaimed. "And you have no accent."
"Well," he said, doubtfully.
Stepping up to the counter to order his coffee, he then proceeded to speak to the barista in fluent Indonesian, slang and all!
Wow! That is the sort of thing I really admire (and envy, to be honest). How has this man acquired at least three languages (three that I know of) before reaching middle age? It's incredible.
We chatted then about rednecks in Wisconsin (where he had recently been), Trump voters, the rise of similar types that is currently infecting the world, and so on. To him, this was all very interesting--which is a good outlook, I reckon. It beats depressing and dispiriting, that's for sure.
The world needs more like this bright young man. What better attribute than a talent for communicating in a world that has largely stopped conversing?
"I'm from The Netherlands," he answered.
"Good Lord, your English is perfect!" I exclaimed. "And you have no accent."
"Well," he said, doubtfully.
Stepping up to the counter to order his coffee, he then proceeded to speak to the barista in fluent Indonesian, slang and all!
Wow! That is the sort of thing I really admire (and envy, to be honest). How has this man acquired at least three languages (three that I know of) before reaching middle age? It's incredible.
We chatted then about rednecks in Wisconsin (where he had recently been), Trump voters, the rise of similar types that is currently infecting the world, and so on. To him, this was all very interesting--which is a good outlook, I reckon. It beats depressing and dispiriting, that's for sure.
The world needs more like this bright young man. What better attribute than a talent for communicating in a world that has largely stopped conversing?
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