European coincidences?
Once I got onto the subject of coincidences, I had trouble sleeping at night! There were too many things that raced through the head, so that in the end I thought to myself, the first thing I'll write on the blog is something entitled - "When I woke up dead!"
I didn't, because I finally fell asleep and forgot all my ideas! But coincidences - they just keep on coming back!
As a young lad, like most young lads, (and lots of young ladies) I had access to a map of the world, but not having figured out that it was square, I concentrated myself onto the part I came from, Europe, which was round!!
full of 
and 
and 
, 
, all living in one area known as
together with a load of others, who apparantly don't count highly enough to merit a smiley!
I recall looking at the map of Europe, and thinking to myself how it must be nice to live in certain parts of the area, for different reasons.
I recall, for example, thinking that the bottom "left-hand" corner of Germany could be interesting because it bumped into France and Switzerland, and could be great from the language point of view.
Same thing for the corner half-way up, where Germany bumps into France and Luxembourg ,and Belgium and Holland a little bit further up!
Having now actually lived in these areas, and not just for a couple of weeks, but for years, I can assure you that these are actually the MOST boring in Europe for languages. They all tend to have such an intense pride in their own language, that it is almost considered an insult to speak anything else within these "border areas". When I say their "own" language, I don't mean French or German etc., but their own "patois" .For an Alsacienne, for example, (which contrary to Chippie's beliefs is a person and NOT a dog) French SHOULD be his native tongue, but actually he takes great pleasure in talking a sort of mixture of French and German, and does so only to annoy, confuse and otherwise irritate others.
Unfortunately for him, I can do the same thing, and did. Like the Swiss, for an Alsacian, all fun and humour stops abruptly when you talk money! That's when I started. Suddenly HE could speak French - but I couldn't! HE could immediately speak German - but I couldn't!
HE could even speak English - but I couldn't! Everything he could now speak, but couldn't 5 minutes ago, I was now completely ignorant in.
He learnt, quickly, that a wee Scots laddy could be a right buggar!
The same things happened in the other regions quoted, and it gave me and the wife, a deal of pleasure to learn at least a little of their patois, whilst making sure that they never forgot that French/German/English were the main criteria should things get heated!
It was all coincidence that these areas had been selected years and years before, almost by sticking pins into the map. The fact that they all became immense factors in my life later on was simple coincidence! The fact that my wife is buried in one of these areas is coincidence, the fact that my health turned in another of these areas is coincidence, and maybe it is coincidence that in spite of living on each occasion in a "specialist" area (Germany for example, in places known for the good air, the good spa water - or in the Mountains, high up, or in Luxembourg in the only "luftkurort" they have, or in France in the Med area, sunshine sea and sand, or in Switzerland in the spa towns) we neither apparantly reaped the benefits!
All coincidence, and Goid bless it!!
I didn't, because I finally fell asleep and forgot all my ideas! But coincidences - they just keep on coming back!
As a young lad, like most young lads, (and lots of young ladies) I had access to a map of the world, but not having figured out that it was square, I concentrated myself onto the part I came from, Europe, which was round!!
full of and and , , all living in one area known astogether with a load of others, who apparantly don't count highly enough to merit a smiley!
I recall looking at the map of Europe, and thinking to myself how it must be nice to live in certain parts of the area, for different reasons.
I recall, for example, thinking that the bottom "left-hand" corner of Germany could be interesting because it bumped into France and Switzerland, and could be great from the language point of view.
Same thing for the corner half-way up, where Germany bumps into France and Luxembourg ,and Belgium and Holland a little bit further up!
Having now actually lived in these areas, and not just for a couple of weeks, but for years, I can assure you that these are actually the MOST boring in Europe for languages. They all tend to have such an intense pride in their own language, that it is almost considered an insult to speak anything else within these "border areas". When I say their "own" language, I don't mean French or German etc., but their own "patois" .For an Alsacienne, for example, (which contrary to Chippie's beliefs is a person and NOT a dog) French SHOULD be his native tongue, but actually he takes great pleasure in talking a sort of mixture of French and German, and does so only to annoy, confuse and otherwise irritate others.
Unfortunately for him, I can do the same thing, and did. Like the Swiss, for an Alsacian, all fun and humour stops abruptly when you talk money! That's when I started. Suddenly HE could speak French - but I couldn't! HE could immediately speak German - but I couldn't!
HE could even speak English - but I couldn't! Everything he could now speak, but couldn't 5 minutes ago, I was now completely ignorant in.
He learnt, quickly, that a wee Scots laddy could be a right buggar!
The same things happened in the other regions quoted, and it gave me and the wife, a deal of pleasure to learn at least a little of their patois, whilst making sure that they never forgot that French/German/English were the main criteria should things get heated!
It was all coincidence that these areas had been selected years and years before, almost by sticking pins into the map. The fact that they all became immense factors in my life later on was simple coincidence! The fact that my wife is buried in one of these areas is coincidence, the fact that my health turned in another of these areas is coincidence, and maybe it is coincidence that in spite of living on each occasion in a "specialist" area (Germany for example, in places known for the good air, the good spa water - or in the Mountains, high up, or in Luxembourg in the only "luftkurort" they have, or in France in the Med area, sunshine sea and sand, or in Switzerland in the spa towns) we neither apparantly reaped the benefits!
All coincidence, and Goid bless it!!
Comments