If we talk in Chinese among ourselves in front of foreigners in a foreign country, it may be considered rude. But really that's NOT what we mean to be. So I told the boyfriend of my friend Laura, Leo, recently when he complained that my friend talked with me in Chinese which he, as a second generation of Australian with an Italian family background, couldn't understand a signle word.
People like Leo have no idea how much effort we first generation immigrants have to take talking in English, especially if you are like me who migrated in my 30s or if you are like Laura who's only a few months new in a foreign country.
For many of us, very often we have to go through the process of translation in our head first before we can speak something out in English. It's exciting but it can get tedious sometimes. We can even struggle to express ourselves accurately and thoroughly when we speak a second language. We may want to take a break from it when we meet someone who speaks the same mother language as us. People like Leo don't understand this since they have never experienced it themselves. Although Leo speaks both English and Italian, he never has to go through the translation part. Being born in Australia into an Italian family, It seems that both languages are his first language. Lucky him! They just flood out when he speaks, in either English or Italian. So he needs to be reassured that we are not trying to hide some secrets or conspire something evil or bad mouthing others when we are not speaking their language.
Leo no longer complains now. He simply turns around sometimes and pretends that he's responding to what Laura and I are talking about in Chinese by going blah blah blah...
We are SIMPLY taking a break so please relax dear foreign friends! :)
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