One night when we were out at dinner, as the waitress walked away from us after taking our order, she threw an offhand comment back over her shoulder. Nothing out of the ordinary. But when hubby asked me what she’d said because he hadn’t heard and I told him I had no idea, he was surprised… but you laughed?
Yes… because here’s another skill I’ve gained in living in another language: the ability to know (most of the time) what reaction is expected of me, even if I don’t understand the words. I guess we all do it unconsciously anyway – following the visual cues and tone of voice to know how to set your face and how to react.
It is still one of the big things I hardly ever understand, even now… those off hand comments people make when you walk past them in the street or at the end of a conversation. If you’ve ever said something to me when I’m out walking other than a greeting, then trust me, I had no idea what it was. And it’s even worse in the pool… because my ears are clogged with water and those words… well they just shoot straight past me. Luckily I’ve picked up this great skill of generally getting it right.
But of course there’s nothing more mortifying (or funny, depending on the mood) of being caught out. Sometimes it’s obvious I’ve said the wrong thing, and most of the time people just brush past it. They are polite. The thing is, I can usually tell. Which makes me think of all the times I’ve probably done it to others.
I used to actively avoid walking past people when I was out because I was so scared they would talk to me! These days I’m much braver, but I still send out that bleating I did not understand laugh more than I would like. But I’ll get there… or I’ll just become a pro at translating non-verbal signals.
an aussie in austria 