Hello @leaky20,
Yes, I do find it a little strange that the names are interchangeable. When I first noticed your posts featuring the Netherlands, I always thought you were Dutch, and I always made sure (and still do) to edit my comments before publishing, since I always think of the country as "Holland" and I tend to write it that way.
I recall my Dutch friends booking that time off, especially for the Christmas market and they always looked forward to visiting that part of the country.
Great photos and I'm sorry you won't be there at that time of year, but at least you got to experience the city anyway:-)))
PS. I enjoyed the video very much. I've heard the explanation several times, but I like how they clarified it further with humour.
You wanna know what's confusing too? It's the Papiamento language that they speak in the Dutch Caribbean islands. I have been only to Curacao, and listening to them speak was weird. It was like Spanish, French, English, and Dutch all mixed. I felt like I should have understood them, but I certainly did not 🤣
One of my Grandfather's was from the Netherlands and I have an uncle from there as well, so I'm part Dutch I guess, along with everything else lol - English, Irish and German hahaha.
The Papiamento language does sound confusing. It's weird when languages have many similarities that you recognize and you think you understand but then realize that you don't. I have that feeling every time I'm around people speaking Dutch. For brief moments I think I understand and then I quickly realize that I have no clue what's being said. It's probably because my grandparents spoke Dutch around me when I was younger so some of it is still stuck in my brain. Maybe its like that for you because you know so many different languages?
Ah, that explains your height.
Yes, there are so many mixes and it's hard to find "pure blood" that's one of the reasons why I can never understand war and segregation.
You are spot on there!
I totally get what you mean about feeling like you should understand Dutch, but don't. The Jamaican patois is still different from the Papiamento; It's more broken English with the use of some African words and maybe a little Spanish:)
How do you know how tall I am haha? Can you tell from photos in my posts? 😂
That's really interesting. I find language fascinating, how it develops in the brain and some of the processes involved. It was one of my favorite subjects in a developmental psychology class I took in university. I could go on and on about language really.
You do take great photos, but something tells me that there are no camera tricks where your height is concerned, so yes! 😆
Yeah, I think languages are fascinating and I think it changes the thought processes of persons who speak dual languages.
I regret not being multi-lingual actually... I always wanted to study linguistics (they say native English speakers find it more challenging to learn other languages though).
Psychology was one of my strong areas in uni. I still like it and have always enjoyed studying and observing the behavioral patterns of people.
Speaking from my own experiences, its probably because we don't put any effort to learn new languages we just expect everyone to speak English to us around the world - and generally they do...lol
I think that is the general behavior of North Americans (again myself included here). In Europe everyone I meet speaks 2 to 7 languages. Back home I know maybe 3 people who are bilingual. Lol
Yes, there is some fact in what you've said about our difficulty to grasp another language.
Absolutely!
I think dual-language people have different problem solving techniques too:)
@millycf1976 Curacao is wild with their language! Papiamento is something I never learned except for a few general words so I don't look like an ugly American. Maybe I did, but, I hope not! Aruba and Bonaire speak it also, but, not nearly as much as they do in Curacao. Spanish Creole with a tad of Portuguese and Dutch mixed in.
@dswigle, ah, yes! I forgot the Portuguese.
You were good to understand a few words.
For me, it was puzzling...sounded so familiar yet so strange.
I like the culture, but I thought that apart from the beautiful structures and brightly coloured buildings in the town, there's not much natural beauty in the geography and layout of the islands like Jamaica, or St. lucia.
I felt a much higher standard of living though:)
@millycf1976 You are absolutely right! I am in the minority as I am not in love with Aruba! Everyone loves it, but it lacks to me. Too much volcanic rock to sway me. However, Bonaire is made up of limestone and sedentary rock formations - right on top of volcanic rock. The saving grace is it has amazing diving!! The diving places have great prices on their billeting and give you a pick up to use. Pull up to a beach and walk off!!
Like everything and everywhere else, the best properties are being bought up and renovated, but not by locals. :(
I had many friends from Aruba, when I lived in the Netherlands. They thought it was the nicest of the three ABC islands, but I would have opted to go to Bonaire if I had the chance.
This is an interesting point that I never paid close attention to before I lived in the Philippines. I guess those islands are like Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean, when any foreigner can buy and own property once they have the funds. In the Philippines, the laws are there to protect their citizens so that only a Filipino can have the majority of ownership if there's a foreigner involved. It's like catch 22:(
Truth. Bermuda has one of the most difficult processes to be allowed to buy unless you are a contributing billionaire. Also, after your demise, the property must be sold, keeping it true to their ideals of being only Bermudian.
I'm with you! I love Curacao, but, I have never gotten over Aruba being amazing. The beaches are beautiful, but, if you live there, you are working more than likely, so the beaches are not a #1 priority.