Niche language studies for eavesdroppers
Working up my courage, I proudly said, “一個袋唔該,” to the woman in the lime green polo shirt behind the cash register at the grocery store. She looked at me like […]
Tag Archives: Dutch
Is no knowledge truly wasted? Or was Dutch a big time suck?
When I decided to study Dutch last September, I thought: What the hell, we could be here awhile, I might as well take the intensive class. As the result of […]
The Foreign Asshole Fallacy
Living in a foreign land, one soon realizes that all of the assholes one encounters in daily life are ‘foreigners.’ Here in the Netherlands, nearly every one of the assholes […]
Sweet, sweet spring skiing
Outside the Munich Airport, a ski-tanned, ski-dude threw our gear into the back of a big van and we set off under darkening skies toward Austria. As we turned onto […]
On the importance of swimming and bluffing
Because the Netherlands is littered with unfenced waterways, learning how to swim is an important part of a proper Dutch upbringing. As such there is a tri-level (A, B, C) […]
The 5 things that happened when I learned elementary Dutch
Learn the local language, always strikes me as a sound tip for expats, and so every time we move I attempt to learn the local language. As a result, my Mandarin […]
Bumbling my way through menus
Being an eager student of languages, I sought to dazzle recent visitors by personally translating an upscale Dutch menu before their very eyes. Here is the restaurant’s menu: And here […]
White guys have big noses and other non-linguistic language lessons
I smell chocolate whenever I muddle through simple Spanish conversations. My eternal thanks for this delicious associative memory is due to an old Spanish textbook, Churros y chocolate, and its luscious cultural […]
Feeling better about Dutch prospects? Or worse about Chinese efforts?
I received a notice from Utrecht City through my letter slot with this title: “Opruimactie weesfietsen wijk Noordoost” Hmmm … something about bicycles in my district. I know “fiets” is “bike” […]
