Oddbean new post about login | logout It’s funny in Lisbon and Barcelona nobody assumed I spoke the language but in Scandinavia people almost always assume I do speak the language. I don’t speak any Scandinavian languages but I do speak fluent Spanish and B1 level Portuguese (not great but good enough to converse). And I’ve spent a substantial portion of my adult life living in Ibero-American countries. The kind of crazy part is my ancestors came from Sweden, northern Germany, Wales, and England. I’ve only spent minimal time in this part of the world so it feels odd to be assumed I’m a local.
A mi hermano le sucedía algo parecido. Siempre pensaban que era Indio o similar y algunos de sus pacientes le hablaban en su idioma nativo. Lo gracioso es que nuestros ancestros son de España, Italia, África y Sudamérica. Y, este año, cuando mi hijo mayor viajó a Egipto, le hablaban en árabe. Alguien ya debe haber hecho algún estudio sobre el tema :)
Nice choice to pass more time in Spain.
Did you ever live in Costa Rica?
No I lived in Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador, and spent a bunch of time in Brazil and Bolivia. I’ve only spent a few days in Costa Rica. But mostly Uruguay.
Wow, pretty varied spread of places there- eclectic ‘school of life’ mix I’m sure. 🤩 Chat GPT sites Uruguay in the top 5 places for ‘plan B’ living interestingly!