Refreshing my Dutch Language

My parents and my two sisters, plus four of my mother’s siblings and their families, emigrated to Canada from the Netherlands, in the early 1950’s.

I was born in Canada.

When I was a little girl speaking dutch, an aunt gently said to me, ‘We came to Canada to be Canadian, let’s speak English.’

Aunts and Uncles, from the Netherlands, would visit and very quickly my first language would return. Today, cousins visiting are very fluent in the English language. Practicing Dutch has becoming a rare occurrence.

Gradually, the language of my ancestors became lost to me.

Or so I thought.

My friend, D, has been using this quiet time of Covid19 to study the French language. I am very grateful to her for introducing me to her wonderful little App. Two days ago I started on a journey that, hopefully, will lead me to becoming fluent in the Dutch language.

I am surprised at how easily the words are returning. The written word is a bit challenging, the grammar, the spelling!

But the speaking, and the reading, come back easily!

I realize I am early on in the course, but I feel very confident that I will regain this language that I had believed to be lost.