I really loved this piece. I have only visited Myanmar twice and yet still it feels. Dry special to me. What an incredible place to live for so long! Your detailed description of learning the language - and the fundamental changes you had to make to your way of thinking as a result - really made me think. Thank you.
Hi Bonnie - thank you so much for these kind comments - I am so glad you enjoyed the piece. I didn't know you had been to Myanmar - that is awesome that you know the country. Where was your favourite part of the country? I wonder if we ever crossed paths :)
I wouldn’t say I know it that well compared to you of course! I loved everywhere we went. Bagan was amazing, touristy but beautiful, the sheer scale of the temples. Yangon and Mandalay were also such bustling yet friendly cities. I really loved it. It is so sad that they are in such a state of turmoil there, yet again.
I so admire your writing and perseverance in learning Burmese - the connections you can make simply through knowing a other language is incredible. I'm ashamed at my own lack of skill in using other languages - it's something I seek to rectify.
Thank you so much Kathryn. I don't even know if it was perseverance or that navigating the country was much more difficult without learning it. And I agree - learning languages has opened doors for me - both in my career and in the ways I see the world. I especially like glimpses of the world through different words and that some languages bring out different sides of your personality or structure how you talk in new ways. As you are a poet and a writer I am sure you could learn another language quite easily - in my opinion its about learning a few key vocab and grammar rules then finding people willing to still talk with you while you make lots of mistakes :)
I do love to try - the biggest challenge is feeling silly in front of people I'm travelling with. I'm off on an adventure around Andalusia this summer so I shall set myself a challenge! Look forward to reading more of your writing.
What a fascinating piece, and I loved how you ended it with the story of surprising the people in the supermarket! It’s an amazing gift and honor to learn foreign languages. I speak French and Italian and Spanish, although my Spanish vocabulary is a tad limited. But we live between Switzerland and Spain, and I love being able to speak to people here in Spain, and surprise them with random funny words I’ve picked up that normally only Spanish people would know. As for the situation in Burma, I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was that bad. There is so much suffering in the world… thank you for sharing this . Love xxx
Hi Francesca - thank you for your comment. That is lovely that you have all these different languages to express yourself and the opportunity to use them in the different countries where you are based. Yes - I am also really saddened by the situation in Myanmar. And that it is not fully covered by international press and aid support. I don't feel comfortable telling stories from my time there - in more peaceful times - without mentioning the conflict - but I hope that those stories might also be a means to understand the country - as it can be so hard to feel connected with issues in different parts of the world.
For sure. We only see the blaring headlines that tend to all be the same. We do desperately need the full spectrum of information. Thank you for responding to my comment 🙏
Yes absolutely - it is so hard to understand the nuances from afar. And I love seeing the interactions on pieces I have written -it is the best part of being on Substack for me. Because of that - I always need a few days to process my feelings of gratitude for thoughtful comments and always want to respond mindfully once I have reflected. So thank you for commenting in such a thoughtful way! :)
This is a brilliant piece of writing Catriona. As somebody who has struggled for years to learn basic French, this article has really encouraged me to try again. I recently started learning a few Spanish words in preparation for an upcoming holiday and I was amazed at how much simpler the grammar was than French – at least in my opinion. However, something keeps drawing me back to the beautiful French language. I keep telling myself it cannot be impossible because children and adults learn it. I look at how young children pick up fluent language in a few short years and think to myself ‘why is this so difficult for me?’ Well done for persevering with the Burmese language and I hope you continue to enjoy all its nuances.
Thank you so much for this kind comment. I put a lot of time into this piece, so I really appreciate your kind words. I agree that Spanish grammar is easier than French - but the good thing is they are quite similar so learning one helps with the other. French is a tricky language - I did it as part of my undergrad degree and I had no option but to learn all that grammar and the correct pronunciation! In my opinion, once you have learned a wee bit of any language - there is no substitute for finding someone to practice with - even if you get it all wrong - I think just finding ways to express yourself is the best way to learn. That is what motivates me in any case.
The journey of learning a language and its corresponding culture is an arduous one, but it’s also beautiful in a sense. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Thank you Bethel! I have definitely found it beautiful to learn languages. I find it interesting to learn new words and have new ways of expressing myself.
Hi Shreya - thank you so much for this comment. Learning languages has taught me so much -I think being in the situation where you have no choice but to learn is the best way to build up courage! You mentioned you were moving to France next year - so I think you will find so much richness and incentive in being there!
I really loved this piece. I have only visited Myanmar twice and yet still it feels. Dry special to me. What an incredible place to live for so long! Your detailed description of learning the language - and the fundamental changes you had to make to your way of thinking as a result - really made me think. Thank you.
Hi Bonnie - thank you so much for these kind comments - I am so glad you enjoyed the piece. I didn't know you had been to Myanmar - that is awesome that you know the country. Where was your favourite part of the country? I wonder if we ever crossed paths :)
I wouldn’t say I know it that well compared to you of course! I loved everywhere we went. Bagan was amazing, touristy but beautiful, the sheer scale of the temples. Yangon and Mandalay were also such bustling yet friendly cities. I really loved it. It is so sad that they are in such a state of turmoil there, yet again.
I so admire your writing and perseverance in learning Burmese - the connections you can make simply through knowing a other language is incredible. I'm ashamed at my own lack of skill in using other languages - it's something I seek to rectify.
Thank you so much Kathryn. I don't even know if it was perseverance or that navigating the country was much more difficult without learning it. And I agree - learning languages has opened doors for me - both in my career and in the ways I see the world. I especially like glimpses of the world through different words and that some languages bring out different sides of your personality or structure how you talk in new ways. As you are a poet and a writer I am sure you could learn another language quite easily - in my opinion its about learning a few key vocab and grammar rules then finding people willing to still talk with you while you make lots of mistakes :)
I do love to try - the biggest challenge is feeling silly in front of people I'm travelling with. I'm off on an adventure around Andalusia this summer so I shall set myself a challenge! Look forward to reading more of your writing.
What a fascinating piece, and I loved how you ended it with the story of surprising the people in the supermarket! It’s an amazing gift and honor to learn foreign languages. I speak French and Italian and Spanish, although my Spanish vocabulary is a tad limited. But we live between Switzerland and Spain, and I love being able to speak to people here in Spain, and surprise them with random funny words I’ve picked up that normally only Spanish people would know. As for the situation in Burma, I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was that bad. There is so much suffering in the world… thank you for sharing this . Love xxx
Hi Francesca - thank you for your comment. That is lovely that you have all these different languages to express yourself and the opportunity to use them in the different countries where you are based. Yes - I am also really saddened by the situation in Myanmar. And that it is not fully covered by international press and aid support. I don't feel comfortable telling stories from my time there - in more peaceful times - without mentioning the conflict - but I hope that those stories might also be a means to understand the country - as it can be so hard to feel connected with issues in different parts of the world.
For sure. We only see the blaring headlines that tend to all be the same. We do desperately need the full spectrum of information. Thank you for responding to my comment 🙏
Yes absolutely - it is so hard to understand the nuances from afar. And I love seeing the interactions on pieces I have written -it is the best part of being on Substack for me. Because of that - I always need a few days to process my feelings of gratitude for thoughtful comments and always want to respond mindfully once I have reflected. So thank you for commenting in such a thoughtful way! :)
This is a brilliant piece of writing Catriona. As somebody who has struggled for years to learn basic French, this article has really encouraged me to try again. I recently started learning a few Spanish words in preparation for an upcoming holiday and I was amazed at how much simpler the grammar was than French – at least in my opinion. However, something keeps drawing me back to the beautiful French language. I keep telling myself it cannot be impossible because children and adults learn it. I look at how young children pick up fluent language in a few short years and think to myself ‘why is this so difficult for me?’ Well done for persevering with the Burmese language and I hope you continue to enjoy all its nuances.
Thank you so much for this kind comment. I put a lot of time into this piece, so I really appreciate your kind words. I agree that Spanish grammar is easier than French - but the good thing is they are quite similar so learning one helps with the other. French is a tricky language - I did it as part of my undergrad degree and I had no option but to learn all that grammar and the correct pronunciation! In my opinion, once you have learned a wee bit of any language - there is no substitute for finding someone to practice with - even if you get it all wrong - I think just finding ways to express yourself is the best way to learn. That is what motivates me in any case.
The journey of learning a language and its corresponding culture is an arduous one, but it’s also beautiful in a sense. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Thank you Bethel! I have definitely found it beautiful to learn languages. I find it interesting to learn new words and have new ways of expressing myself.
This resonated so much with me, because I nurture a very deep love and fascination for French!
I have a small bucket list of languages to learn, and I hope I pluck up the courage to do so during this lifetime😍
Learning a language is a wondrous, soul-enriching endeavour💙
Hi Shreya - thank you so much for this comment. Learning languages has taught me so much -I think being in the situation where you have no choice but to learn is the best way to build up courage! You mentioned you were moving to France next year - so I think you will find so much richness and incentive in being there!