Polyglot? Nah. Just a Trying-Hard Linguist Freak.

One of best things I get from working in the city (Mandaluyong, to be exact) is the fact that I get free language lessons any time I like. What with all the people from different provinces and different cultures who chose to work here, and whom I get to talk with as much as I' d want to.

I'd like to think of language as a very useful weapon in life. It can easily be ticked off as something hard to decipher, and better yet, a "what-the-heck" aspect of a culture. But for me? The long hours and days and months of asking questions on "how to say this?" and "how do you pronounce this?" really pays off, especially in dealing with other people. Learning someone's language gets me real close to my fellow Filipinos, and it makes me think of life in a wider point-of-view.

Yes, at first, it's confusing. But if you really put your heart into it, and learn to appreciate it, then the difficulty is torn away.

I was first inspired by Nelly Furtado, herself, a polyglot (a multi-lingual individual), who knew Portuguese (her native language), French (because they migrated to Canada), Spanish, and Hindi. That was June of last year. It was then when I started learning Spanish myself. Not that I'm claiming to be prolific in the English language already. After all, English, a very powerful language, has a very complex vocabulary, that I still run out of the appropriate words to use when I am writing. But I once read that, learning a language will also help you understand your own language better. It's because you get to discover the real rules of your own tongue when translating or using another language.

After Spanish, and this was just last August of 2006, I started to drift off into a more intimate relationship with my Filipino roots. I discovered that many probinsyanos worked in the city, even in IBM Daksh, my present workplace. In the boarding house alone, almost all my housemates are Bisayas (speaking in native Cebuano). I have a handful of officemates who speak Iloko. A few Hiligaynon speakers. Some friends from Pangasinan. A bit of Bikol (yes, I am 1/4 Bicolano, and I really want to embrace my biological roots). And i can say, I've come a long way already, considering I pick up on the rules quite fast. It's really fun. and yes, I admit. I'm obsessed with 'em languages.

Forgive me for being a language freak. And please understand that this is not something to brag about. But it's something to be proud of, that you just love being a Filipino, that you still have time to learn the rich language (and culture) of your fellowmen.

Next target: Italian.