Internationally recognized Wood Artist, Teacher, Traveller and Writer
I was born in Melbourne in a home where the native language of my
1950ies immigrant parents was the sole language spoken - and has continued
to be spoken till present day.
I studied Slovenian at VCE level in 1981.
Attending school I discovered certain differences between my schoolmates and myself. For instance, my mother sent me off with different sandwiches and dressed me in homemade jumpers, lovingly knitted by her. At times I found myself short on English vocabulary, but could always provide the Slovenian equivalent. In those days, being from a 'New Australian' background had its drawbacks, even though our lives were richer through diversity.
Nowadays the ability to move between cultures, assimilate and meld riches typical of each gives me an advantage I treasure almost daily.
In Melbourne's multi-cultural suburb of St.Kilda, working as a specialist Creative Arts secondary teacher, I find that my background is no longer 'different' to the norm, but typical of this city. A decade and a half of teaching and travel through many countries of the world, I find that my background provides me with aptitude to interpret foreign cultures, most often through the ability to pick up languages and think as an outsider new to a new situation or language.
But why do I find myself espousing the virtues of speaking more than one language? Simple! My experience has left me in many situations where empathy for another culture has provided greater insight into realities of worlds other than the one I am familiar with. I've drawn tangents between languages I speak and those spoken by fellow travellers, or my own students. I've been able to think about expression in my native tongues and I how I express myself more logically to others who have a lesser understanding of my languages. Speaking more than one language allows greater insight into the language-based needs of individuals from other cultures, either moving into our country, or into whose country I intrude.
To learn another language not only broadens our ability to communicate verbally but also provides us with understanding of how we communicate as human beings.
Personally I've never found myself restricted by broad language skills, but found them to open doors to cultures otherwise inaccessible, either on a personal or professional level.
Self-expression is often restricted by expectations of gender or culture, to overcome these is liberating, enabling insight into worlds once restricted.
