Bi- and multi-lingualism (long post)

Language, as we all surely know, can both unite and divide. Growing up in South-Africa, we lived with a similar situation as we have in Canada today. That is, we were obliged to learn a second-language at school, and all labels and cereal packages etc. etc. carried both English and Afrikaans.
Worse, at that time Afrikaans was considered 'the language of the oppressor' and this meant we bore a kind of in-built resistance to it. In my young adult novel (under consideration right now by a publisher, so hold thumbs and stay tuned) set in the year leading up to Nelson Mandela's release, I dealt with this in what I hope is a sympathetic way, seeing as my heroine is herself a young Afrikaans girl.

In addition, I learned French both at school and during three years at university. At school in England, I'd boarded with French girls so had an easy understanding when I heard it spoken. This stood me in good stead when I got a job at the French Institute in London. I was the only one with English as my mother tongue, and believe me, I felt tongue-tied when it came to speaking French. After two months, however, this loosened and I was soon on my way to becoming completely fluent.

Then I decided I needed to learn some German. And I began to wonder... do these crash, total immersion courses work? Could I come into this language in, say, a week? My conclusions was... no. Although I did make a beginning. So I held the question, wondering, how long does it actually take to come into a relationship with a new language. I also asked around a bit. Eventually I came to the totally unscientific conclusion that it takes about five years to feel at ease.

Now for the bad news. Over the years I've lost my fluency in speaking French, although I still understand without much effort. The German too is fading. My conclusion here is that, like any other relationship, a connection with a language has to be on-going and tended. So I've taken to listening to French on the radio. I tell my husband "Three weeks in France would do it for me."

Ah well, we can dream, can't we?

Autumn transition

Last week felt like a month went by to me. We had the autumn equinox, an eye-popping full moon, and the official start of fall. And the weather! Some heavy rain showers, a couple of cold days, and then a Friday afternoon when it almost felt like summer again.

I suppose this lurching from one thing to another often characterizes transitions. And just in case you're wondering how I'm doing with changing my habit, I'd say I'm successful about 65% of the time so far. That feels like winning!

At this time of the year I take particular pleasure in watching the sun rise. I suppose that's because it pops over the horizon at a convenient time in the morning for me. Plus, we're fortunate enough to have an east-facing window in our bedroom. For a few moments I can pause the getting-ready-for-the-day rush and open myself to the upliftment of the sunrise.

Then of course there's the amazement that comes with the glory of the autumn colours. I don't think I'll ever get used to the surprise, and the feeling of the warmth that begins to glow in me like a non-physical fire. I have to acknowledge once again what a wonderful gift it is for us, that we can experience and live with the changing seasons.

Thieves of time

Procrastination, they say, is the thief of time. Sometimes I procrastinate, sometimes I don't. Mostly I have to find what feels like a good moment to do something that needs attention. A couple of my friends jump in straight away. For instance, you tell them someone wants them to phone and they pick up the handset straight away. Another friend might send an immediate email from her phone.

I might be envious at this quick reaction, but I'm also horrified by the thought. Mea culpa, maybe.

However, that's not really the main thrust of this post. What I've been thinking about lately is all those lost seconds that occur when we're waiting on our computers... to boot up, to load a website, to open a word document, whatever. I wonder how many wasted minutes that might add up to in my day. So I'm trying to find small chores I can do meanwhile. Waiting for my desk top, I can tidy a couple of items, or dust the screen. What I've been doing with my laptop, however, is attend to my fingernails. This works pretty well because otherwise it's too easy to neglect them and then they grow into funny shapes, split and break, and those precious tools of mine (my hands) don't feel as good as they should.

I'm waiting for inspiration to find more minuscule tasks, ones that can be done while sitting.