My Native Tongue
Jenny & Adam
CHANIA, Greece // Chania is a small harbor town on the north west shore of the island of Crete. The day we got in it was sunny and the streets were fairly empty. It’s hard to tell how much of the quietness is due to us being there out of season, or whether its the economic crisis that has quieted the party, or if it simply the siesta hour when the shops all close here between 2 and 5 pm. Either way Adam and I enjoy the quiet and walk through every corner of this quant town.
There are a few cafes open and enough shops to entertain us. We even find a pottery studio and I take a two hours private lesson. The next morning we wake up expecting the same bliss and I hear English out the window. I listen to the conversation. I realize this is an odd experience for me as though everyone and every country we have visited has spoken English with us we never hear it being spoken around us. Then more English conversations waft up through our open balcony. My brain can’t stop listening. I can’t tune them out. We walk downstairs and this lazy little town has come to life. A cruise ship, carrying mainly English tourists has docked for a few hours. They have invaded my little town. I don’t like it. I don’t like being able to understand everyone. It feels noisy and loud. This is going to be a real struggle when I get back stateside and will have to relearn coping with always hearing my native tongue being spoken around me.