Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Say What??

When I first arrived in Croatia I thought things would be a little different but basically life and living would basically remain the same. Little did I know I was in for a rude awakening! Not only was it a LOT different but nothing was the same! Long gone were the everyday trips to Walmart- anything and everything you could possibly need at your disposal. Gone were the conveniences of drive-thru windows. Gone was the dilemma of what restaurant we would grace with our presence for dinner. Gone was freedom to run into CVS and pick up a bottle of cough syrup or Motrin. Gone was the ability to walk through life and actually be able to communicate with those around you. Almost everything about life as we once knew it was... gone.


As we settled in and life took on a new chapter, I was as far removed form my comfort zone as one could possibly get. But I am a tough little cookie and I knew I would get through it. Then it happened! Language school.
I flunked out of 3 languages already in my short life thus far. My brain just doesn't calculate the info fast enough. I thought living without Walmart and Cato would be tough, but I had no idea what kind of torture lay ahead of me. Ok I am exaggerating but it is a challenge. My head spins when I hear people talk. My brain stops when I try to talk. I sit staring and blinking the whole class thinking I have no idea what just happened.

There isn't a flunking out option in this language. I have to learn it. I think its funny that in America you call major businesses or Customer Service and they tell you to press 1 for English. Not only that but the cereal boxes are bi-lingual. Not here! You either learn their language or be left to stumble around not having a clue whats going on. Thank God for my friend Tori. I really don't know what I would do without her. A simple task such as exchanging a pair of shoes can't be done in the absence of a translator. Anyway tomorrow is Friday and Friday means language and I guess thats why it was on my mind.

2 comments:

Tori Leslie said...

Aww, you'll make it in no time. You're already picking words out of conversations and you can go through the check out now without them even knowing you're American.

Won't be long now!! Hang in there!

Kristina said...

You'll get the hang of it. At this point your are farther along than I in language. When we came over for our survey trip in 2005, all I wanted to do was speak Spanish because it was the only other language I knew! LOL