Mantra: Language barriers are mutual.

I keep forgetting…

Language barriers are mutual… at least when you start out an English speaker. I keep forgetting that while I am shy about speaking up in class in Hebrew, some of my classmates are shy about speaking to me, or anyone, in English. I keep forgetting that while I don’t understand every item on the hourly radio news update, a lot of other people aren’t getting the funniest jokes in popular American movies.

And most importantly, while I read the Hebrew newspaper a bit slowly, it could take hours for others to read the myriad of articles we get for class, 99% in English, no matter what the professor’s native tongue.