Tuesday night was my first Finnish language class. After three hours, I am now equipped to say my name, where I am from, the numbers 1-10, and, if the situation warrants, I can tell you that I am not dancing.
Of the 25 students in the class, I was the only person from the U.S. As we went around the room, we had to say which languages we speak (in Finnish!) and I was astounded by the number and range of languages spoken in the room. The usual European ones were represented, like German, Italian, Spanish, and French, with lots of Swedish as well. But there were also students who speak Armenian, Belorussian, Latvian, Tamil, Ukrainian and Russian. Everyone, except for one British man, spoke at least two languages, and some spoke even three or four.
I have been here for a week and quite honestly, it would be very easy to live here for six months, never learn a word of Finnish, and be just fine. Most everyone speaks English, and speaks it very well. Yet, it was very clear to me last night that everyone in class thought nothing of learning Finnish in order to fit in to their new environment. It made me think about all the times I have heard people say things like, "Welcome to America. Now learn English." Having taught foreign language for a number of years at all levels, I can assure you I have heard all kinds of variations of this sentiment....a lot. It made me wonder how many of those same people, if transported to another country for whatever reason, would follow through with their own belief that you should speak the language of the country you live in?
Regardless, it has been years since I was in a language class as a student and I left feeling excited and mentally exhausted. Nonetheless, I loved leaving class last night and reading the new words I had learned on the way home. Suddenly, even after a few hours, some of the signs I've been seeing on the trams for the past seven days started to make more sense. Today at the grocery store I decided to practice hearing and saying numbers. Thankfully, the nice young man at the deli was very patient and I successfully walked away with a yummy dinner of mashed potatoes and meatballs, won through a conversation of mixed Finnish and English.
It always amazes me how kind and patient people will be when they see you are trying to speak their language. You may not always say something right and chances are you'll embarrass yourself at least once (oh, the stories I could tell!), but a simple effort, in my experience, is always appreciated.
Hyvää yötä.
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