There’s no such thing as a long comment. 🙂 But yes I see the similarities regarding our respective native languages. And kudos to your mother for not paying attention to that school. There’s so much to be said about that kind of attitude. Learning a new language should be fun like you’re probably doing with Portuguese. Enjoy! 😀

Khaya, I was going to mention my Swedish but thought my comment became overlong! We arrived in the UK when I was six years old and the school told my mother in strict terms to no longer talk Swedish to my brother and I – immerse us just in English. Of course she promptly ignored them – as if moving to another country wasn’t unsettling enough! I am totally fluent in Swedish but my written Swedish is a bit rough; I can manage but not good enough for business work etc. I dream in Swedish, English and German … and a few words of Portuguese creep in as I’m trying to learn this language!?

Laura has put is so well. Languages do add depth in our relationships. And as you suggest Annika, there is nothing quite like a discussion with someone in their own language. I often see a smile light up on their faces, when it was unexpected. I also wonder Annika, as a multilingual, how of your Swedish is affected since your life is the UK? I always love to hear how others deal with a loss of native language. Anyway, thanks once again for reading.

Languages reveal nuances of a culture’s outlook on life – shading individual personalities, adding depth in our relationships….but you already knew that!
🙂

They are words I truly mean. You are a master of words. And I still am in awe of that sentence and all those doors that are open to you.

I’m humbled and grateful for your kind words.

She is indeed…