Everything I have Forgotten
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFfAJZeZE2ndmYXkMo11ucQEQE5GF44Phu6H-lGBcjrbez-uETc8vgG5swuKgVthcXjt5K345Cqqo6D1OODozNnaKg7ReyL9z2HJ1HppYHYphyphenhyphen-emW_-VGuKrUtUHVYyVnz2DmCsnh23j/s400/76254702.jpg)
It was one of the things I loved about being expat, the background hum of a foreign language. Because I was never perfectly fluent in Spanish let alone Valenciano, I had to really concentrate if I wanted to understand what people were saying. I learnt basic market Spanish - in fact have variously learnt French, German, Italian, Latin. I read this quote from the US writer and professor of literature Brander Matthews in the FT magazine: 'A gentleman need not know Latin, but he should at least have forgotten it.' Well I have, every single word - out of all the languages I can get by in French and understand but barely speak Spanish. It's amazing what I have forgotten, and what's more I really have to work hard now to memorise anything new. I always admire people I've met who can slip effortlessly between languages. Children are like sponges, you need to catch this early on - it is dazzling to see how quickly they pick up new information and skills. The six year old already corrects me about things I have forgotten or mis-remembered. Do you think everything we learn is still in there somewhere? You do hear about people who sustain head injuries suddenly speaking fluent languages. Shame the whole Harry Potter/concussion incident didn't result in fluent Italian returning. Have you heard that saying that you become a different person speaking a different language? If you are bilingual, do you think language affects your behaviour?
Today's illustration made me laugh - in my case it is entirely true, and it would have been longer if I had managed to do the fantastic MA course in creative writing in East Anglia. Between Philosophy, Anthropology, Sociology, Art History, Arts Management, Interior Design and writing I have spent over seven years studying since school. Some of it was balanced with working full time. What about you - did you enjoy studying or couldn't you wait to get out of school? Because of their responsibilities both my father and father-in-law didn't have the chance to go to university - they are two of the brightest men I know, and interestingly both studied for degrees with the Open University once they retired, and loved it. I really think lifelong learning is the key to staying interested and alive - I don't know about you, but it's what I love about writing.
TODAY'S PROMPT: What do you wish you had learnt? It's never too late - at this time of year when all the kids are returning to school, how about you? Evening classes, correspondence courses or degrees, even picking up a book on the subject from your library. Learn something completely new, give yourself a fresh start! If you have the opposite problem and feel you have too much going on, why not try a news/information fast? Put the newspapers and books away, switch off the TV and radio, make a deliberate attempt not to take anything in for a few days until you feel refreshed. If you've never tried it, I recommend it - it's amazing how much we are bombarded with the visual/audio equivalent of junk food, and how much mental space it takes up.