Changes… Part 7

Part 7

The first conversations with my maid were very primitive but one that I recall to this day was a humorous one. She took my pyjamas every day to be washed. I quickly ran out of clothes to sleep in, and I knew the words for clothes and floor. So, we came up with a rule. “If the clothes are on the floor” she needs to wash them. This short clothes on the floor equal “wash” were rather funny but it worked and to this day it was the rule.

Learning the new language was not going to be easy but the Indonesian language is quite simple. Words are one thing but the last time I had to learn a new language I was 10. Not counting learning French in school, which I hated, this was almost 40 years later. 

I learned and did lessons on an app as much as I could in preparation but living and learning in the country are always better.

Picking up the very basics was great and because I spoke Hungarian, English and a touch of French pronunciations and all were quite easy. The rest was all about memorization and being involved in conversations.

Because nearly everyone at the office spoke English the communication aspect was not a difficult one. Even in the short span of two weeks my son too picked up a few words.

The two weeks would pass quickly and so much quicker than we both had imagined. I dreaded the days as the time to say bye drew closer and closer. We made the best of our time and went as much as we could around the city. Malls, restaurants and so on were so different than Canada, or even North America for that matter. The malls are a place of gathering. Shopping does take place but as I found out much later there are many reasons for this and slowly things began to make so much more sense.

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