When you come from a small country like Finland, speaking multiple languages is pretty much self-evident. I've studied five foreign languages in my life, the most recent one is Spanish, which I started here in the Netherlands few months ago.
As a travelling journalist it's vital to know different languages. In many countries you can manage with English, but knowing the native language is always a huge advantage. You can read local papers, follow the news and understand the conversations in cafes and buses: it gives you more genuine image of the country.
Arabic has long been my passion to learn, and I've studied it for two summers in Egypt. At the moment, however, it's not possible for me to continue studying Arabic. So I decided to take some private Spanish lessons here, and I've really enjoyed it. I've always wanted to learn Spanish as well.
Before going to Portugal I knew I would probably not understand any Portuguese, but that the locals would understand if I spoke Spanish. Mostly that was not necessary since - much to my surprise - many Portuguese speak English very well.
One night me and my friend wanted to go dance salsa - not that we are so great salsers - and found a Cuban place that we liked. Music was good, atmosphere relaxed and a lot of really good Portuguese guys to lead.
Mostly all the guys behaved like gentlemen, but there was one man who after a while started making passes at me. I only wanted to dance, so I told him - in Spanish - that I have a husband. This statement, however, didn't have the affect I was hoping. He continued hitting on me. I repeated myself a couple of times more, but he just kept shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal.
Finally I just left him on the dancefloor and continued my night, not really giving it a second thought.
I remembered the guy today when I was having coffee with my friends, and I told them the story. One of my friends asked me to repeat what I said to the guy, and after doing so she started laughing.
So it turns out that instead of telling him "I have a husband" I had just repeated "I have a brother".
No wonder I didn't get the reaction I was expecting... It's also possible that he thought I was threatening him with my brother, implying he could kick his ass if he tried something (which is actually not so far away from the truth).
I will continue to learn Spanish and one thing is certain: I will never forget how to say "I have a husband" in Spanish (it's a useful sentence).
"Obras son amores y no buenas razones"
- Spanish proverb
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