Russian and English and Georgian, oh my!
I’ve been studying Russian since 2010. While I can now use it fluently, I still learn new words and phrases, mostly from my wife. Language changes and evolves, so it isn’t even a matter of learning all the words in a language because new ones are going to emerge at some point. Here’s one example of a new word I learned recently in both English and Russian — “to ship.” It means “to take an interest in or hope for a romantic relationship between (fictional characters or famous people), whether or not the romance actually exists.” The word has appeared in Russian as well. I geek out about these things and love seeing how languages borrow from each other. Despite the circumstances of our move away from St. Petersburg and Russia, I’ve admittedly enjoyed the opportunities and challenges presented by navigating in a foreign environment where some knowledge of Armenian and Georgian is necessary. I enjoy living in new places and exploring new cultures, and I love learning new words in a foreign language and then turning around and using them in real life. That’s immersion right there. As I’ve mentioned before, however, I’m able to use both English and Russian (actually, I need to use them) to effectively communicate on a day-to-day basis. This has reminded me of what it’s like to be a beginner in a language.
Learning a language is hard and speaking and being surrounded by a foreign language constantly without knowing what’s happening is mentally exhausting. In Russia, I experienced this, especially the feeling of fatigue that would come from speaking Russian for hours at a time. After enough years there, Russian become a second language and it was no longer a challenge to live in the language and culture. After moving to Armenia and then to Georgia, my wife and I have been thrown back to level one. It took me two years, one of which I was in Russia, to begin speaking Russian confidently, and many more to reach the level I am at today. Standing in the streets of Tbilisi, I think about the time and effort invested in learning Russian. While I would, on the one hand, enjoy learning Georgian, I can’t, on the other, justify the work required to do this, given that we most likely won’t stay in the country long enough to reap the benefits of really learning it. The result is the trilingual tango I dance to be understood. In fact, it’s four languages if you include my hand gestures that are used to complement any lack of understanding of oral human speech.
No matter the situation, I believe it’s important to learn a few words and phrases of the local language to show respect to the locals. Even while traveling I’ve followed this principle, learning at the very least “hello,” “thank you,” and “goodbye.” At some point, your trip ends, and you return to an environment where your mind can relax under the rhythm of a familiar language. My trip to the US was the opposite. While there, my mind was able to take a break. I understood everything around me and didn’t need to ask anyone in the shops which language to use — English or Russian. There was no hand gesturing to indicate what I wanted to buy or trying to explain with the help of Google what I was looking for. To be honest, it was nice. Then I returned to Georgia. Of course, I am fortunate to know both English and Russian, and living here is much less challenging than it could be otherwise. Locals though don’t use either of these languages when discussing things passionately in public transport, and these are the moments you wish you knew the language.
Recently, my wife and I were on the bus going to the grocery store. Nearby, there was a group of passengers having a conversation. It was loud enough for other people to hear. Obviously, they were speaking in Georgian so I had no idea what they were discussing. Suddenly, a man standing by them started shouting at one of the other passengers in Georgian. It wasn’t an aggressive type of shouting, more of him giving his opinion in a very excited manner. In any case, it’s a bit awkward when you’re standing there and have no idea what they are shouting about. Are they complaining about the waves of immigrants coming into Georgia or about something else? It wasn’t a dangerous situation, but I would have liked to know what was happening around me.
The clear solution is to devote time and resources to learning Georgian, at least at a conversational level, but I don’t think I will. We’ve been here for five months already and as time passes, there seems to be less reason to begin. I am especially grateful to Georgians, and while I can’t say much, I do enjoy using what I know and the smiles I get in return show that my effort is appreciated.
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