RiverGhost

  • 0 Posts
  • 27 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 13th, 2023

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  • I agree, but I think I understand why I do it.

    TL:DR Maladaptive behavior that is however ultimately harmless since I don’t bother people.

    I was a “gifted child”; was always like 2 school years ahead, started uni at 15 and every single person I met would praise me for being the youngest. I was immature so it got to my head. I also have always looked much younger than I am, which also invites comments. Finally, I also have AuDHD and I’m constantly anxious about not acting my age and being too immature. So I try to look at other people’s ages to guide me in how I’m supposed to behave.

    All of this is maladaptive and I’ve gotten a lot better with time, and I’m still working on it, but I’m not particularly bothered about the actual fact of having an interest in people’s ages. I make sure I don’t ask them about it or bother them about it, but many just offer this information on their own.




  • Yeah I agree that it applies to all languages. I mean mostly that while it’s easy to get away with just English in places like Sweden, it’s not an equivalent experience. I really appreciate being able to communicate in Swedish here.

    But yes, while my native language is Spanish, there are many things I can express better in English, and even Swedish. For example I learned a lot about myself emotionally and socially at the same time I was learning English as a teenager, and I struggle communicating these things in Spanish. I also only got proper therapy in Sweden and as a result, I express many aspects of my mental struggles best in Swedish.


  • I get it. I have only succeeded at learning languages I’ve been sort of forced to learn, even when I’ve also genuinely wanted to learn them.

    I wanted to study an undergraduate degree that is only given in Swedish, so I went to school specifically to learn Swedish before that.

    I work with programming so I’d get away only with English but somehow I’ve managed to reach a point where people mostly speak to me in Swedish, even though I don’t look Scandinavian. I have a coworker that keeps talking to me in English and I reply to him in Swedish and sometimes it takes him a while to notice we’re speaking different languages.

    It does require a sustained effort and I slip when I’m lazy or tired. Also, having to use a language that doesn’t let me project the best of me can be challenging as an adult.











  • I understand, while I live in Sweden, I didn’t grow up here. I wish I could convince people back in my home country that reducing cars is a worthwhile goal, and certainly better people than me have tried. I’m not arguing for you to simply bike and take the risks, I didn’t and I wouldn’t.

    Reducing car reliance would be a big project even if everyone agreed. I don’t take it for granted here. Even in Sweden we’re also facing risks of reduced public transportation and favoring cars, and that worries me. It’s like finding a little piece of a well working system and watching it become underappreciated and potentially destroyed.