The novelty of facebook has worn off. Ok, not enough people are posting on my wall and I feel ignored again.
And both my penpals have dumped me.
I don't really miss the Russian guy. He told me that he was learning English and he needed to practice by corresponding with English speaking penpals. His emails were painful to read. You could tell he'd spent ages composing the two-line emails with the help of a Russian/English dictionary. You don't really appreciate fluency in a language that you take for granted until you hit a language barrier. An articulate person is reduced to the banal. For example, if asked the question, "How was your weekend?"
instead of responding,
"It was great. I organised a Eurovision Party, and invited a great mix of people who really hit it off with each other and enjoyed themselves!
becomes:
"Oh it was great!"
(with a mental thumbs up). Which you can put it in brackets like I just did - if you know the 'word' in the language for thumbs up. It fails to fully convey The. Essence. of what the party was like. I remember how frustrated my Swedish journalist friend used to feel whenever she tried and failed to express herself in English. Or couldn't remember how to say a word in English. She'd say, 'Words are my craft. I feel so helpless not knowing what words to use'
My other penpal, a German lady who lives in Washington, USA, was interesting but I think I lost her when I emailed about how I felt after my father passed away last month. Too much emotion I guess.
I need an outlet so I am back to you, my silent audience. Hello again!
