Adapting and Blending
I took the bus into Valletta yesterday, in order to attend the International Film Festival. When I arrived at the cinema, I informed the lady at the ticket booth that I had made a booking. She answered me in Maltese. This is very rare. Usually when they realise that I am a foreigner, the Maltese immediately switch to English. Then a very strange thing happened. (Perhaps our resident blog commentator on language learning, Patricia, can shed some light on this). I wanted to answer in Maltese. I had the phrases ready in my head. But when I spoke, English came out. It was bizarre, like I was possessed. She kept talking in Maltese, which I really appreciated because I need to practice and few people give me the chance! We carried on like this for a couple of minutes since she could not find me in the computer.
So, I am guessing that she thought I was an English-speaking Maltese. There is a small part of the population that prefers English as their language of communication, but who still understand Maltese. Since I was understanding everything she was saying to me, this would make sense. Otherwise I would have said that I did not understand.
I consider this little interaction another milestone in my language learning process! She spoke only Maltese to me, and I understood everything she said! It is true what they say, that understanding a language comes first before speaking it. So this would mean I am making good progress. When I went upstairs to the cinema, I decided I would ask the ticket-taker in Maltese where the toilets were. And I did! I did not chicken out and use English. She understood me, and answered me.
It may sound like trivial baby steps to you, but it is an amazing accomplishment for me. I am going back to the festival today and this time I will carry out the whole transaction in Maltese only, I have decided. Even if it takes me a bit longer to reply, I will try my hardest. It is very frustrating that I can read quite a lot in the language and write things in it but that I get tongue-tied when speaking. I would like to thank that cinema employee for not speaking English and allowing me to practice.
Later as I rode the bus back home, I realised that I am beginning to feel at home. I knew exactly which bus to take, where it stopped, where to get off, where the cinema was, etc. This was the first time that I did an entire outing and I did not feel like a tourist. Another step into making this island my home!
