A mild frustration at the preschool.

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

6 Jul 22

I agree. Sometimes I feel it reflects a lack of collaboration. But I can still do my job with the kids, so I let it go.

2 people like this

Anna

@LadyDuck (471433)

• Switzerland

7 Jul 22

@TheHorse - It is not polite to exclude someone. I had the same sensation when a group of friends of my husband talked all the time about "the old times", I was left out "THEIR" old times, that was very rude.

1 person likes this

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

7 Jul 22

@LadyDuck Eh, some times old guys have to talk about the old times. I can still remember when we used to toss a football around in the streets.

1 person likes this

Jo Ann

@akalinus (43209)

• United States

6 Jul 22

Maybe you could look into some classes in conversational Spanish. With all the hordes of people coming here, the need to know Spanish will just increase.

2 people like this

Jo Ann

@akalinus (43209)

• United States

6 Jul 22

@TheHorse That is an important word to know. It will help when nothing else will do.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

7 Jul 22

@akalinus Heh. I am a good learner. I think I can learn a lot by just chatting with my co-workers.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

6 Jul 22

I do ask my colleagues to help me. Today I learned how to say "hug" in Spanish.

2 people like this

Greg

@xander6464 (44250)

• Wapello, Iowa

8 Jul 22

The good news is that in only a few years, you should be fluent in Spanish.

1 person likes this

Greg

@xander6464 (44250)

• Wapello, Iowa

9 Jul 22

@TheHorse You're young. You have time to passively learn lots of languages. I assume you already know Russian and several Asian languages so you can communicate with your Russian and Asian Brides...Or are you avoiding them because not being able to talk produces a happier marriage?

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

9 Jul 22

Will I live long enough to become fluent in Spanish?

1 person likes this

RasmaSandra

@RasmaSandra (79892)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

6 Jul 22

Nope I was always all right at the places I used to work at in NYC but I did have some problems in Latvia when I started instructing people in English at various institutions and I had to constantly switch between English and Latvian and some of the admins there only spoke Latvian That was confusing

1 person likes this

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

7 Jul 22

Sounds interesting. Was your Latvian good enough to get through to the Latvian-only speakers?

1 person likes this

RasmaSandra

@RasmaSandra (79892)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

7 Jul 22

@TheHorse sure I learned Latvian as a child before I learned English, We were a Latvian speaking family at home,

1 person likes this

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

8 Jul 22

@RasmaSandra What other languages does Latvian overlap with?

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Ruby Hawk

@RubyHawk (99405)

• Atlanta, Georgia

7 Jul 22

I have so I know exactly how you feel.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

7 Jul 22

When I worked in Oakland, I felt like the "straight white guy." But I didn't let it stop me.

1 person likes this

Ruby Hawk

@RubyHawk (99405)

• Atlanta, Georgia

7 Jul 22

@TheHorse You can’t let it stop you, you gotta get over it and move on.

Anindita Sengupta

@aninditasen (16397)

• Raurkela, India

7 Jul 22

I studied at a school where English was the medium of instruction and taught in such schools too. So never did I feel the odd man out.

1 person likes this

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

7 Jul 22

Got it. I wish I had been more devoted in my studies of French. I'm picking up Spanish only in bits and pieces.

1 person likes this

Anindita Sengupta

@aninditasen (16397)

• Raurkela, India

8 Jul 22

@TheHorse English is my second language and apart from that I know my mother tongue Bengali, Hindi and Oriya.

simplyme

@m_audrey6788 (58472)

• Germany

6 Jul 22

I know that feeling

1 person likes this

simplyme

@m_audrey6788 (58472)

• Germany

7 Jul 22

@TheHorse Yes. The feeling of being left out because you know little of the language

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

7 Jul 22

Was it based on language?

1 person likes this

Torunn

@Torunn (8607)

• Norway

6 Jul 22

No, I've done the opposite, spoken German with my German colleagues while ignoring that the rest didn't really understand what was going on. But at least half them had German in school, so they should have been able to follow.

1 person likes this

Torunn

@Torunn (8607)

• Norway

8 Jul 22

@TheHorse The only time I can remember when I felt really left out was when we were visiting a school in Poland and the organizer for some reason had forgotten that he could have sent me to a math class, so I ended up with a colleague in a biology class. In Polish. Then I spent quite a lot of time just looking at people, 'cause I didn't really understand what they were talking about at all. I could do English only or German only, and the Scandinavian languages should be OK. Not all the Nordic though, some times in Finland I think I should learn more Finnish.

@TheHorse (218924)

• Walnut Creek, California

7 Jul 22

Did you ever feel left out? I don't think I could get by on "Spanish only."

1 person likes this

Sanjeev

@sjvg1976 (41281)

• Delhi, India

7 Jul 22

It's not good. They should not speak in Spanish when you are around, if they are talking in Spanish it just gives me a feeling that they hide something from you. No, I never had such an experience.

Four Walls

@FourWalls (68084)

• United States

6 Jul 22

Odd man out? No, ‘cause I’m a woman. And I’d think you’d feel like the odd horse out.

Yes, I’ve felt that a lot. It’s easy to feel that way while working as a temp. On the other hand, it was sort of refreshing because it kept me out of office politics.

1 person likes this