I feel fine now (and a rant).
Living in SwedenNot much has happened this week (except a nice fat tax rebate from the UK government), so not much to post, but something has crept up on me. This is a feeling of calm when out in public alone. Ever since I have been here, I have been a little on edge when doing everyday things...
What if I don't understand something? What if someone asks me a question, and I don't understand, or do not know how to answer? And so on.... the baggage that I brought with me was astounding. But this week I realised, this has gone... completely. When you live in your home country, and you understand everything, you to take this for granted.
Oh yes, this brings me onto a rant. On BBC Prime it is possible to watch a programme about relocating from the UK to elsewhere. Now, obviously I have a bit of experience with this, so it is quite interesting to see how other people have done this, compare and contrast as you might say.
The thing that has astounded me, is that nearly every time a British family has moved to a non-English speaking country, the family have not learnt ANY of the language of the country they are moving to. I see this as arrogant, ignorant, and frankly I am embarrassed for them.
I recently saw an episode where a family moved to Greece, not even knowing the alphabet. Another was a family moving to Sweden (I saw this before I moved), and again they knew NOTHING of the language. Not “please” (OK, there is no Swedish word for please) or “thank you”, “hello”, goodbye”, or being able to ask for things. Their children had to go to a Swedish school not knowing a single word, luckily the children were quite young, so they just got on with it. But come on, you cannot expect everyone else to make all the effort just because by accident of birth you happen to be born in an country that speaks English.
I would say in my class the vast majority of people are bi-lingual BEFORE they started to learn Swedish. The reason is for this is often economic, and the prevalence of English and Spanish, but that doesn't distract from the fact that the common British attitude to foreign languages is pathetic. Errggghhhh.................... and breath.
I am not being complacent either, next I am going to start learning Italian, as my niece will be speaking Italian in no time. I believe there is no good reason to stop learning.
ThatIsAll
LostInTheWoods
I commend you for moving and embracing your new found culture. I can assure you that an attempt to speak your new language will be viewed more favorably than not trying at all. I am impressed by your willingness and total commitment to learning about your new home. I could only wish that the newest inhabitants of our country would do the same.
Sorry - I tend to rant about that subject as well!
I am not sure I agree with your comment: "Since she was paid in American money, she should learn to speak the American language."
I think it is less to do with the currency you are paid in (as all currency is inter-changeable) and is more to do with the language of the society in which you live. But on the whole I agree.
Here in Sweden if you cannot speak the language you are refused a work permit, unless you are a citizen of the European Community, so your maid would be in school like me.
I don't mean to single out the Mexican community. We have native born Americans that refuse to speak proper English as well. They speak some horrible slang and ghetto language that makes me cringe to hear. I feel that the refusal to learn a language that is the national language of the country in which you live only serves to seperate you from the rest of the country and isolates you as a group. I would not have had the slighest problem with the maid if she would have attempted to understand. Since she smiled and acted as though she did instead of trying, I felt pretty mad.
I don't want to come across as angry! I am a generally positive person! Its always sunny in my world! If someone wants to come to this country to have a better life, Great! I have zero problem with that!
How is your language going, BTW?
In my situation, the education to get to a basic level in Swedish is free, that's books, paper, pens, folders and internet access. All paid for by Swedish tax payers (which by Monday, I will be too). But this is only available if you are registered with the local council, which means you have to be a legal immigrant.
If your maid is legal, what education is available to her to learn English? Also, is it cheap/free? I am guessing for some people, who maybe lazy or reluctant to learn in the first place, actually paying for it is the thing that makes them decide to pull the shutters down.
I think the Swedish Government are smart on this. To have fully integrated new members into a society they must be able to speak some of the language. Forcing people to learn, is for the good of everyone, society and the individual. It doesn't need to be seen as just paying for someone's education. The more educated the populace, and the better they can communicate, the stronger the economy will be (case in point: India).
There has been a big controversy in the UK about the cost of translating government documents and forms in English into about twenty other languages, which is about $200 million. Then there is the Welsh language....
My lingo has really improved in the last few months, I understand enough now to watch a Swedish TV game show, the news, read bits of the newspaper. Spelling is getting there, but grammar is a tough nut to crack, but slowly it's coming together. Thanks for asking.
200 million to translate? Wouldn't that money be better spent on educating everyone to speak English and then allow them the choice of whether or not they want to use it after the classes? I am all for money for education. In fact, there is no legitimate reason for anyone in this country to not have an education if they wish. If you come from a low-income family, the government will pay for your education at a trade school or community college and provide child care, food stamps, housing assistance, etc... There are easy ways to get loans for school as well. You may graduate with a huge debt, but you graduate educated! I think it is wonderful, the more a person earns the more they pay in tax, in a way paying back for their education or assistance. I would love to see this country put a stronger emphasis on education. Sorry to ramble... I am tired! :) It is bedtime!
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