Exposing the very thing that makes me uncomfortable
Growing up, as stated before, I have a tongue-tie. Coupled with rapid speech ala Rory Gilmore, it rendered me incomprehensible. I’m still hard to understand today.
But because of the tongue-tie, people open up to me and think I’m sincere — I am, but this is different. The sincerity comes from the fact that I have something I struggled with my entire life.
Unlike other ailments, like Chron’s Disease, I could not hide. I mean, I did hide by choosing not to talk for so many years. But they knew something was up with how I talked.
But it was sometimes so sweet and welcomed though:
“Oh, you’re a foreigner, you speak Arabic so cutely!”
(أوه ، أنت أجنبي ، أنت تتحدث العربية بلطف)“Oh, look at you trying to pronounce that word, it makes me appreciative of you trying my language.”
( Oh, regardez-vous essayer de prononcer ce mot, ça me fait plaisir que vous essayiez ma langue.)
And then a discussion happens. They appreciate the fact that I was so willing to try and not hide behind the impediment. Most people would cower in fear instead of trying to communicate.
I cowered in fear for years, I will not stop trying to communicate.
I’m making up for the lost time.
It’s okay, this is my weakness, but it became my strength.
