Twenty years in Curacao never inspired me to learned this language. When I first arrived, the children went to the International School and the need to learn was minimal. After all, I could help with homework in English, the expat community that sent their children there was English speaking, I was too busy, I spoke Papiamentu: you pick. I had all the excuses!
As time passed, I was able to understand most everything. Try playing bridge with a group of Dutch speaking ladies for 20 years! Very little escaped me, but actually talking to them in Dutch was not attempted. Why? Fear of not getting it right? maybe embarrassment about been made fun off? who knows now. Opportunities missed, for sure. No point in trying to fix that now!
When I moved to Miami, back to English all the time and no plans to move to Curaçao or Holland...Dutch was not needed and was put out of my mind. Well, times change, we change. I carry a Dutch passport as I have said before. Every time I need to renew it, the application handed to me is in Dutch. I answer in English and I think at the Consulate they mind to a point. After all, in Holland you need to prove that you are proficient in the language before they issue you a passport. So, I decided, one day....I have to learn Dutch.
Rosetta Stone, Transparent language posts on my Facebook page, friends that offer suggestions all help me. I am grateful for everything. It is not easy: pronunciation, grammar, de and het, verbs, vocabulary. Never mind: Ik wil Nederlands leren!!!!
As time passed, I was able to understand most everything. Try playing bridge with a group of Dutch speaking ladies for 20 years! Very little escaped me, but actually talking to them in Dutch was not attempted. Why? Fear of not getting it right? maybe embarrassment about been made fun off? who knows now. Opportunities missed, for sure. No point in trying to fix that now!
When I moved to Miami, back to English all the time and no plans to move to Curaçao or Holland...Dutch was not needed and was put out of my mind. Well, times change, we change. I carry a Dutch passport as I have said before. Every time I need to renew it, the application handed to me is in Dutch. I answer in English and I think at the Consulate they mind to a point. After all, in Holland you need to prove that you are proficient in the language before they issue you a passport. So, I decided, one day....I have to learn Dutch.
Rosetta Stone, Transparent language posts on my Facebook page, friends that offer suggestions all help me. I am grateful for everything. It is not easy: pronunciation, grammar, de and het, verbs, vocabulary. Never mind: Ik wil Nederlands leren!!!!
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