Undoing life lessons in Malta
There are lessons that we learn in life that are good for the situation. We carry those lessons with us, and we apply them to similar situations. The problem is that when those lessons become so ingrained that we use them without thinking, we can find ourselves in humorous situations in the best case scenarios, or we could find ourselves in downright dangerous situations in the worst of cases.
In Malta, like in England, they drive on the left side of the road. Because I am used to driving on the other side, the first mistake I made was trying to get in on the driver’s side of the taxi. Fortunately, the driver had been to the U.S. and had another passenger just that morning try the same thing.
As a pedestrian, we are taught in the U.S. to look right, left and then right again. Oftentimes, we look right, step out into the street while looking left and then look right again. In places where they drive on the left side of the road, that could lead to injury and death. It is important to look left, then right, then left again. Or you can practice the football move of keeping your head on a swivel, just expect the collision to be much more violent than anything in the NFL.
When learning to read, we are taught that a when you come to a word that you don’t know, you should sound it out. Of course, that only works if you know the sound that the letters make. You might think you are going to keep up in Paceville, but then you find out that it is pronounced “Pah-chay-ville.” A qassat makes a perfect pocket for peas, spinach or ricotta. Just remember that the “q’’ is silent.
The people in Malta have been very accommodating. They usually only laugh after they have figured out what it is you are trying to say, which is okay. The purpose of language is communication, and if that communication can bring laughter to the world than we are doing something right even if it is pronounced wrongly.
In Malta, like in England, they drive on the left side of the road. Because I am used to driving on the other side, the first mistake I made was trying to get in on the driver’s side of the taxi. Fortunately, the driver had been to the U.S. and had another passenger just that morning try the same thing.
As a pedestrian, we are taught in the U.S. to look right, left and then right again. Oftentimes, we look right, step out into the street while looking left and then look right again. In places where they drive on the left side of the road, that could lead to injury and death. It is important to look left, then right, then left again. Or you can practice the football move of keeping your head on a swivel, just expect the collision to be much more violent than anything in the NFL.
When learning to read, we are taught that a when you come to a word that you don’t know, you should sound it out. Of course, that only works if you know the sound that the letters make. You might think you are going to keep up in Paceville, but then you find out that it is pronounced “Pah-chay-ville.” A qassat makes a perfect pocket for peas, spinach or ricotta. Just remember that the “q’’ is silent.
The people in Malta have been very accommodating. They usually only laugh after they have figured out what it is you are trying to say, which is okay. The purpose of language is communication, and if that communication can bring laughter to the world than we are doing something right even if it is pronounced wrongly.