I Just Sort of Blend In
I’m half Japanese, half Scandinavian– I was raised mostly by my mom (Dane/Norwegian), so I grew up speaking Scandinavian languages pretty comfortably. But you probably wouldn’t guess it, looking at me–I’m short, dark haired and ethnically ambiguous. I’m living in the USA currently, and I kind of just blend in and look like a melting-pot American.
As such, Americans and foreigners alike assume I can’t speak any other languages. Anyway, recently, I was sitting on a train platform, and I overheard a couple of guys conversing in Norwegian. From what I gathered, they were both grad students at a nearby university, working on research.
Normally, when I hear Danish or Norwegian, I am overjoyed and introduce myself so I can get some well-needed practice with my speaking. However, these guys were in a really heated conversation, basically complaining about classmates, fellow researchers, etc. I figured I would leave them to it and mind my own business.
I had been sitting beside them, but at one point I stood up to get in the queue forming to board my train, which was pulling into the station. I’m standing a few paces in front of them, and one stops the other abruptly mid-sentence and says, “MAN, she looks nice.”
I turn around, and they stare back a little guiltily. One mumbles, “Oh, she understood?” “No way.” I respond, “Thanks very much” in Norwegian, with a wave and a wink as I step forward to board the train. The expression on their faces was an awesome mix of surprise, confusion, and excitement. KochiraChiRah