Chief Editor's Note: On A Bus With Seniors
One November evening I was having dinner at my grandparent’s house. Grandma and I had been planning a girls’ trip to Dubai for a while and that evening I brought up the topic again.
“That reminds me, I have another option for us”, grandma said and waddled to the TV-room to find the pamphlet. I glanced at the paper promising high culture from antiquity, world renowned Crusades ruins and magical vistas. One glass of wine in, I said “let’s go!” And so, we booked the trip.
The wine had clouded my judgement because the true nature of this trip didn’t dawn on me until we were in line for check-in. Snaking before me was an endless line of gray heads. What I was about to embark upon was a seniors’ package trip; fully equipped with a tour bus, a guide with an umbrella, resort buffets and endless chatter about bowel moment and other health issues.
In an attempt to fully grasp what I experienced, I’m currently working on a longer piece about the trip, which will hopefully make it to the next issue of BTSB. But for now, I’d like to share a major insight I gained during the week.
It was slightly embarrassing to realize how completely immersed I am in my own social bubble where proficiency in numerous languages is the norm. This is not the case for many of the baby boomers. While a few had a good command of English, a number of my co-holidaymakers had to survive with a few phrases and extravagant hand gestures to ensure some transfer of information.
Humans are wired to communicate, and I was pleasantly surprised to see just how inventive we get when there are only a few tools at disposal. But I also witnessed numerous occasions of communication break-down, which left the participants feeling frustrated, misunderstood and helpless.
One lady told me “Back in my school days we didn’t invest in languages. Just a rare few had the opportunity to travel and, I guess, we underestimated the value of learning other languages”.
It goes to show just how much the world has changed in the past 50 years. The world is a village now; social media connects us to every corner of the world, millennials work in multilingual environments and regularly holiday abroad. There's a huge generational gap when it comes to language. We've grown up understanding that proficiency in foreign languages is capital that will only increase in value as time goes by. It’s not only an asset in employment but a tool to understand the world more comprehensively.
During the week, riding in a tourist bus with seniors, I became aware of what a gift it is to speak foreign languages. As future language professionals, we are in a fortunate and responsible position. The world offers opportunities, experiences and challenges to those who are able to function in it fluently. At the same time, we are the ones who’ll pass language skills onto the next generation. Naturally, not every language student aims at a teaching career, but those that do, will have a decisive role in how the next generation views language acquisition. The attitudes instilled and the confidence gained in language classes will determine so much of what students will be want to and be able to accomplish outside the classroom.
After the week was over, I concluded that it was the first and last time I would go on a package tour with pensioners. But I did gain a new appreciation for the choices I’ve made and the skills I’ve acquired. And fine, I’ll admit it, nothing beats jumping into a freshly made hotel bed.
Whether you’re spending reading week in a blanket fort at home or jumping on a hotel bed, the new issue of BTSB offers you plenty of intriguing read. This issue features a number of creative pieces: Antony’s harrowing tale “Vows”, Danielle’s visually rich “June 17th 1978”, and Elina’s thoughtful poem “To the River”. In addition, Jesper returns to his favorite child: wrestling. Long-time BTSB editor and sci-fi expert, Esko, compiles a listicle of failed sci-fi predicitons. Eveliina draws the curtain on the world of dog shows and I deliver the second installment of “Coffee with an Alumnus”. This time I interview book editor, Laura Kurki.
We hope you enjoy our bundle of articles and find the time to unwind during reading week!
