Marlana
Have you taken on cultural traits or habits from your language-learning?
No matter what your target language happens to be, there is a country or region that you associate with it. Are you the type of person who has such a deep admiration for that culture, that you've become a little bit influenced by it? Do you cook foods from that region more often? Have you picked up cultural habits? Do your friends or family think you're "that" person -- who is from one place but feels an attachment to another? Do you feel as though you were born in the wrong country?
Jun 26, 2020 1:44 AM
Comments · 3
2
I’m learning Spanish, and I focus mainly on Castilian Spanish (European Spanish). It’s not what they taught us in school, but I started watching tv shows from Antena 3 (channel from Spain) in high school to improve my listening comprehension, and I developed an affinity for the accent, despite the fact that most of my classmates thought it sounded like a lisp. I guess I was automatically drawn to podcasts and movies from Spain after that, just for the accent and the culture. I also went on a trip to Spain with some classmates and teachers, which only made me love the country more. I‘ve tried cooking some of the foods I ate in Spain, like tortilla española, as well as foods I’ve seen on TV, like migas. I wouldn’t say I’m more attached to Spain than I am with my home country, or the country that my parents came from, nor would I say I feel like I was born in the wrong country, but I definitely admire Spanish culture.

and YES my family makes fun of me all the time! They don’t care though, as long as the food is good ;)
June 26, 2020
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July 24, 2020
In my case, my family heritage is already Ukrainian. So cooking the foods and being aware of my <em>Ukrainianness </em>is part of who I am, because it's part of my family. I notice that in a country like Canada, a lot of people will state that they're "Italian" or they're "Scottish". They say it confidently as though they're citizens. They clearly aren't <em>from </em>there, and neither are their parents or grandparents. But knowing that the lineage takes them back there seems a lot more interesting. It takes a lot of honesty for a Canadian, who has had family here for generations to just say "I'm Canadian". Sure, they'll say it to a border guard who quizzes them about citizenship, but in everyday conversation, you'll hear a lot of people embellishing where they're "from". Sometimes they'll even hyphenate the original country with Canada, for example: "I'm an Italian-Canadian." That's almost always reserved for people who were born in Italy who come to Canada and obtain Canadian citizenship, but you'll hear everyday Canadians saying it who were born and raised here.

But there are other people who fall in love with a country or culture and take it on in their personal lives. I had a friend who loved all-things-Mexican, yet he himself was of Dutch origin. He learned Spanish, cooked Mexican foods, and began researching Mexican issues (for fun). He was basically a Canadian with a Mexican soul, as he loved it there so much.
June 26, 2020