I had a dream recently where I went to India with some old co-workers. In my dream, everyone around me was speaking an Indian dialect of some sort—or so it sounded. I had similar dreams when I lived in Japan, where all those surrounding me were speaking Japanese—or so I assume. To be clear, I only speak English and a small amount of Spanish.
So, here is the question: Is it just gibberish I’m hearing in my sleep or am I somehow multilingual in an unconscious state? I find the whole thing fascinating. The mind is wild!
For the record, I have always wanted to learn a second language. I took Spanish for two years in high school and one year in college. I did not get very far. I do not have an aptitude for language. I went on Duolingo three years ago and have been plugging along daily. I’m far from great, but I can pick a little up when confronted with a Spanish speaker. I’m hardly fluent.
Is it my strong desire to learn another language that has me dreaming in them? It’s such a weird thing. How does my mind make up languages while I’m sleeping that seem so real? It just really stumps me. I’m telling you, those Indians in my dream last week had it going on! They also made me a mean curry. Win-win!
I guess I understand dreaming in Japanese more since I was surrounded by it for three years. The Indian was just wild. I’ve never been exposed to it that much. Where in the hell did that come from?
To my credit, I can order a beer and ask directions to the bathroom in three languages. This is really all I have, much to my chagrin. My husband is much worse. He basically ate nothing but black beans when we visited Spain. He had that ordering mastered. I was the one left to pay the price for all those beans, if you know what I mean.
I do actually know a little more Spanish than Japanese. However, I could not communicate with the police when we were robbed in Spain. Despite the robbery, it was a great trip, and we had very little trouble getting by despite the language barrier. I also managed to order all the beer and Sangria one woman could handle in Spanish. Oh! And I could always find my way to the bathroom.
While this dreaming of other languages only happens rarely, I hope it continues. If I had to pick, my next stop would be Italy with a sexy Italian. Hey, if you’re going to dream, dream big! I also love Italian food and wine, so I hope I can enjoy that in my dream.
Multilingual people amaze me. I’m so fucking jealous of them. Probably the only people I’m more jealous of are those who can sing well. That has always been my biggest dream. Alas, I only speak one language, and I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. These are things I work on doing in my next life, I suppose. It seems very unlikely I will grasp either this go around.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
