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❝ My Language Learning Journey ❞ / Ainona Sanglas i Madera

❝ My Language Learning Journey ❞ / Ainona Sanglas i Madera

av Loreta Gudelj -
Antal svar: 1

U ovom izdanju serijala „Moje jezično putovanje” razgovaramo s Ainonom Sanglas i Maderom, 25-godišnjom volonterkom iz Katalonije, Španjolske, koja se preselila u Karlovac, Hrvatska, kako bi sudjelovala u Europskim snagama solidarnosti.

Ainona dijeli svoje iskustvo prilagodbe životu u Hrvatskoj, učenja zahtjevnog novog jezika i otkrivanja kulturnih razlika i sličnosti između Španjolske i Hrvatske. Od smiješnih jezičnih situacija do svojih omiljenih hrvatskih mjesta, Ainonina priča nudi iskren i prepoznatljiv pogled na to kako je prihvatiti život u novoj zemlji.

Ainona, možeš li se predstaviti za OLS platformu i podijeliti malo o svom putu od Španjolske do Karlovca?

Dobro jutro svima! Moje ime je Ainona i imam 25 godina. Dolazim iz Katalonije, ali od kolovoza živim u Karlovcu, u Hrvatskoj. Volim putovati i učiti nove jezike i kulture.
Moj put do Karlovca bio je malo duži. U kolovozu sam bila na odmoru u Francuskoj, pa sam u Hrvatsku stigla iz Francuske. Nije bilo direktnih letova pa sam imala presjedanje u Njemačkoj. Malo mi je žao, jer je teško pronaći direktan let iz Zagreba za Barcelonu, pa se ne mogu tako lako vratiti kući za vikend (što sam mislila da ću moći prije nego što sam došla ovdje).


Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera  


Što te motiviralo da se preseliš u Karlovac i kako je tekla tranzicija?

Odlučila sam se preseliti u Karlovac kako bih volontirala u Europskim snagama solidarnosti. Bila sam u kontaktu s jednom katalonskom organizacijom koja ima programe za odlazak u inozemstvo, i jednog dana sam vidjela ponudu za volontiranje u Centru za mlade, organiziranje neformalnih aktivnosti i „uradi sam” radionica za mlade i djecu. U Kataloniji sam radila kao monitora de lleure, u neformalnom obrazovanju, pa sam mislila da će to biti lijepo iskustvo – vidjeti kako takve aktivnosti funkcioniraju u drugoj zemlji. Također, volim raditi rukotvorine, pa mi je to bilo kao „posao iz snova”. Osim toga, kao što sam rekla, volim putovati i živjeti u inozemstvu. Nikad prije nisam bila u Hrvatskoj i pomislila sam da će biti lijepo posjetiti je i istražiti okolne zemlje.

 

Kakvu ulogu jezici imaju u tvom životu i kako su ti pomogli da se prilagodiš Hrvatskoj?

Jezici imaju važnu ulogu u mom životu, rekla bih. Trenutno govorim katalonski, španjolski, francuski i engleski, a učim- odnosno pokušavam učiti- hrvatski. Kako govorim nekoliko romanskih jezika, mogu razumjeti talijanski, a portugalski uglavnom ako ga čitam. Prije nekoliko godina studirala sam kineski, u sklopu fakulteta Prevođenja i tumačenja, ali sam odustala od studija i prestala učiti kineski, pa ne smatram da ga govorim.

No nikad prije nisam učila nijedan slavenski jezik, pa mi je hrvatski stvarno izazovan.
Kad sam došla, naučila sam osnove- „dobar dan, hvala, doviđenja…“, ali pokušavam naučiti više. Jer iako u Hrvatskoj mnogi ljudi govore engleski, i na poslu pričamo engleski, a naše aktivnosti su također na engleskom, mislim da je važno govoriti jezik zemlje u kojoj živiš. Jezik nije samo način komunikacije, već i način da vidiš svijet i izraziš sebe.


 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera  


Kako ti je bilo učiti hrvatski? S kojim si se izazovima suočila?

Za mene je to do sada bilo teško iskustvo jer nikad prije nisam učila nijedan slavenski jezik, pa učim sve od nule. Osim toga, učim sama, bez pomoći, pa je to naporno. Također, nemam puno prilike za vježbanje (osim kad naručujem kavu ili nešto slično), pa je teško napredovati.

Jedan od izazova bio je odlazak u kino da gledam dječje filmove (jer se u Hrvatskoj filmovi prikazuju u originalu, a jedini način da čujem hrvatski u filmu je da odem na sinkroniziranu verziju). Također i odlazak u kazalište (obožavam kazalište, pa sam išla na nekoliko predstava, iako nisam puno razumjela). Jedan od najsmješnijih izazova bio je odlazak na talijanski film s hrvatskim titlovima. Kao što sam rekla, mogu donekle razumjeti talijanski, ali ne baš puno, pa je bilo smiješno- pokušavala sam čitati titlove, a onda nisam slušala film…

Još jedan izazov bio je kad sam jednom kupovala kartu za vlak, otprilike mjesec dana nakon što sam stigla. Bilo je smiješno jer sam ženi na blagajni rekla na hrvatskom da ne govorim hrvatski i pitala je li govori engleski- a onda nastavila na engleskom. No nije me razumjela i isprintala je krive karte. Onda sam joj pokušala objasniti na par riječi na hrvatskom da živim u Karlovcu i da mi trebaju karte od tamo (a bile smo u Zagrebu). Onda se naljutila na mene i rekla: „Pa ti živiš u Hrvatskoj i govoriš hrvatski!“ Ali ja sam znala reći samo to. (Bilo je smiješno tek poslije, kad je sve prošlo.)


 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 


Postoje li hrvatske riječi ili izrazi koji su ti posebno smiješni ili nezaboravni?

Nemam puno rječnika, ali prvi jezični brzalicu koju sam naučila bila je „Na štriku se suši šareni šosić“. Također sam naučila izraz „Sto ljudi, sto ćudi“. Ah! I gledajući jedan film čula sam izraz kojim se poželi sreća, i rekli su „slomij nogu“ ili nešto slično.

Mislíš li da ti je znanje španjolskog olakšalo učenje hrvatskog jezika?

Za mene- ne. Mislim da su to dva potpuno različita jezika, s drugačijom strukturom, gramatikom i vokabularom. Hrvati kažu da im je španjolski lak, ali mislim da to nije isto kada učiš hrvatski. Mislim da su Hrvati navikli na španjolski zbog telenovela, ali ja prije dolaska ovdje nikad nisam čula hrvatski. Znači, krenula sam od nule.
I kao što sam rekla, moj materinski jezik je katalonski, a dvojezična sam i sa španjolskim, i to mi je jako pomoglo dok sam učila francuski, ali ne i sada kad učim hrvatski.

Mogu pronaći neke sličnosti u riječima poput „simpatičan (simpàtic)“, „optimističan (optimista)“, ali ne puno. Jednom sam primijetila da se u karlovačkom govoru koristi riječ „butiga“ za dućan (na katalonskom je botiga) i „blau“ za plavo (na katalonskom isto blau). I bilo je zanimljivo kad mi je netko rekao da se u Dalmaciji za jastuk kaže „kušin“, a na katalonskom coixí (izgovara se slično). Pa vjerojatno bih mogla pronaći još sličnih riječi ili izraza.

 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 

 

Što misliš o OLS platformi? Pomaže li ti u učenju hrvatskog jezika?

Moram reći da mi je na početku hrvatski bio jako težak, jer nisam razumjela nijednu riječ, niti sam znala za padeže, pa sam mislila da su iste riječi ponekad različite. Također, prijevod ne radi uvijek, i ne mogu kopirati i zalijepiti tekst, pa je bilo teško razumjeti što piše. Unatoč tome, sada kada imam neku „bazu“, platforma mi je korisna jer se bavi svakodnevnim situacijama.

 

Koje si kulturne sličnosti primijetila između Španjolske i Hrvatske?

Za mene su kulture ovih dviju zemalja različite. U Španjolskoj ljudi više žive vani, druže se s prijateljima i obitelji. U Hrvatskoj se ljudi sastaju na kavi, ali mislim da ne provode toliko vremena na otvorenom (vjerojatno zbog vremena).
Ne vidim puno kulturnih sličnosti, ali možda to ovisi i o regiji o kojoj govorimo.


 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 


Kako bi opisala Hrvate i njihov način života?

Hrvati mi se čine kao jako opušteni ljudi. Imam dojam da se ne stresiraju previše na poslu. Sve se radi „polako“. A ja živim u Karlovcu! Pa zamislite… Svi kažu da se na jugu sve radi „pomalo, pomalo“, pa ne mogu ni zamisliti hahahahahha.
U trgovinama mi se čini da su ljudi „hladni“ i „distancirani“, kao da su ljuti kad uđeš. Također, ljudi su na početku dosta zatvoreni u svojim krugovima, ali je istina da, kad ih bolje upoznaš, postanu topliji. Rekli su mi da je to možda zato što živim u manjem mjestu, na sjeveru i u unutrašnjosti.

Koja su ti omiljena mjesta u Karlovcu za posjetiti ili provoditi vrijeme?

Volim šetati uz rijeku, pogotovo za vrijeme zalaska sunca. Također volim ići na Stari grad Dubovac.


 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 


Jesi li otkrila neke skrivene dragulje ili posebna mjesta u Hrvatskoj?

Za sada sam se zaljubila u Šibenik. Također sam bila u Varaždinu tijekom Špancirfesta i mislim da je to divan grad, a s festivalom još ljepši (posebno mi je bilo zanimljivo što sam, bez da sam znala, tamo vidjela nastup katalonske xarange). Jako mi se svidio i Slunj- za mene je to izgledalo kao selo iz bajke.
Svi kažu da su Split i Dubrovnik predivni, ali još nisam bila tamo, pa ne mogu ništa reći.


Kako bi usporedila hrvatsku i španjolsku kuhinju? Imaš li omiljeno hrvatsko jelo?

Iako obje pripadaju mediteranskoj kuhinji, mislim da postoje razlike među jelima. Moram reći da nisam probala puno tipičnih hrvatskih jela jer ne jedem meso, a ovdje većina jela sadrži meso.

 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 


Jesi li usvojila neke hrvatske običaje ili navike otkako si ovdje?
Ne baš. Ali zasigurno- moj život ide sporijim tempom!


Postoje li mjesta u Hrvatskoj na kojima još nisi bila, a voljela bi ih posjetiti?
Da! Za sada ona „tipična“: Split, Dubrovnik, Plitvička jezera.

 Pula

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 


Što je ono što još želiš doživjeti ili naučiti dok živiš u Hrvatskoj?

Moj cilj je naučiti više o kulturi i povijesti ove zemlje. I naravno- hrvatski. Voljela bih ga puno bolje naučiti!

Jesi li imala neke smiješne ili iznenađujuće trenutke dok si učila jezik ili se prilagođavala životu ovdje?

Što se tiče jezika– i ne baš puno. Što se tiče prilagodbe- da.
Prvi je bio u policiji, kad sam pokušavala dobiti OIB. Prvi dan kad sam tamo otišla s mojom šeficom, žena u policiji počela je vikati na mene, gledati me i upirati prstom. Ništa nisam razumjela, ali sam osjetila da nešto nije u redu. Moja šefica mi je kasnije rekla da je bila ljuta jer sam imala kratke hlače i majicu kratkih rukava. Drugi put kad sam otišla, nosila sam duge hlače i dugu majicu (a bio je kolovoz i vruće).

Što si naučila o sebi kroz ovo iskustvo preseljenja i života u Hrvatskoj?

Naučila sam da je odlazak u inozemstvo dobro iskustvo jer naučiš drugačiji način života i gledaš na život drugim očima, ali i da je to teško iskustvo. Nije lako živjeti daleko od prijatelja i obitelji. Također sam naučila da za sve treba vremena i da je za prilagodbu novom mjestu važno biti strpljiv. Također sam shvatila da je jezik ključ za komunikaciju- on postavlja i uklanja prepreke.

 

 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 


Ako bi nekome dala savjet o preseljenju u Hrvatsku, što bi mu rekla?

Rekla bih da pažljivo razmisli što želi i što očekuje, i na taj način može pronaći mjesto koje mu najviše odgovara. Također bih rekla da, iako je Hrvatska predivna zemlja, tijekom zime na nekim mjestima može biti hladno, maglovito i mračno- i da je to važno uzeti u obzir.

 

Fotografija: Ainona Sanglas i Madera 

 

Koja ti je najdraža uspomena iz života u Hrvatskoj?

Imam ih više. Ali ako moram izabrati jednu, izabrala bih tjedan proveden u Orahovici. Nacionalna agencija Hrvatske organizirala je On-arrival trening za volontere koji su u Hrvatskoj ili okolnim zemljama. Tijekom tog treninga upoznala sam ljude iz cijelog svijeta, razmijenili smo dojmove i započela su se lijepa prijateljstva među nama.


Hvala što ste s nama pratili Ainonino putovanje! Voljeli bismo čuti i vaša razmišljanja ili dojmove- slobodno ostavite komentar ispod.


Loreta, OLS Community Manager – Hrvatski





Som svar till Loreta Gudelj

Re: ❝ My Language Learning Journey ❞ / Ainona Sanglas i Madera

av Loreta Gudelj -
In this edition of “My Language Learning Journey”, we’re speaking with Ainona Sanglas i Madera, a 25-year-old volunteer from Catalonia, Spain, who moved to Karlovac, Croatia to take part in the European Solidarity Corps.

Ainona shares her experience of adapting to life in Croatia, learning a challenging new language, and discovering the cultural differences and similarities between Spain and Croatia. From funny language moments to her favourite Croatian spots, Ainona’s story offers a real and relatable look at what it’s like to embrace life in a new country.

Ainona, can you introduce yourself for the OLS platform and share a bit about your journey from Spain to Karlovac?

Good morning, everybody! My name is Ainona, and I’m 25 years old. I’m from Catalonia, but since August, I’m living in Karlovac, Croatia. I love traveling around and I love learning new languages and cultures.
My journey to come to Karlovac was a bit long. In August I was in France on holidays, so when I came here, I came from France. There weren’t direct flights, so I had to do stopover in Germany. I’m a bit sad, because it is difficult to find direct flights from Zagreb to Barcelona, so it’s difficult to come back home on a weekend (what I thought that I could do before coming here).


What motivated you to move to Karlovac, and how has the transition been so far?

I decided to move to Karlovac to volunteer in the European Solidarity Corps. I was in touch with a Catalan organisation that has some programs to go abroad, and one day I saw an offer about volunteering in a Youth Center, organising non-formal activities and DIY activities for youth and kids. In Catalonia I was working as “monitora de lleure”, in non-formal education, so I thought that this would be a nice experience, to see how these activities work on other country. Also, I love doing crafts, so it was like my “dream job”. Moreover, as I said I love traveling and living abroad. I had never been before in Croatia, and I thought that it will be nice to visit it and the surrounding countries.


What role do languages play in your life, and how have they helped you adapt to Croatia?

Languages play an important role in my life, I guess. For now, I speak Catalan, Spanish, French and English, and I’m learning, well, trying to learn, Croatian. As I speak some Roman languages, I can understand some Italian, and Portuguese only if I read it. And some years ago, I studied Chinese, as part as my degree, Translation and Interpretation, but I stopped the degree and stopped learning Chinese, so I don’t consider that I can speak Chinese.


But I have never studied before any Slavic languages, so for me, Croatian is really challenging.
When I arrived, I learned the basics “dobar dan, hvala, doviđenja…”, but I’m trying to learn more Croatian. Because even if a lot of people are able to speak English in Croatia, and also in my work they speak English, and our activities are in English, I think that is important to speak the language of the country that you are living in. Because a language is not only a way to communicate. It is also a way to see the world and to express yourself.


How has your experience been learning Croatian? What challenges have you faced?

For now, for me it’s been a hard experience, as I’ve never studied any Slavic language before, so I’m learning it from zero. Furthermore, I’m learning on my own, without any help, so it’s hard. Also, I don’t practice it a lot (only if I order a coffee or something like that) so it’s also difficult to improve it, I guess.
Some of the challenges that I face is going to the cinema to watch children movies (as in Croatia movies are in original version, the only way that I can hear Croatian in a movie is going to see synchronized version). Also, going to the theatre (I love going to the theatre, so I went in a few plays, even though I couldn’t understand a lot) and one of the funniest challenges was going to watch a Italian movie, with Croatian subtitles. As I said before, I can understand a bit Italian, but not that much, and it was a funny experience, because I tried to read the subtitles, but then I didn’t listen to it, so…

And another challenge was one day when I bought a ticket for the train. It was maybe a month later to arrive here. It was fun, because I told to the women in the ticket office that I didn’t speak Croatian, and I asked her if she spoke English, but all this in Croatian. Then I started to speak in English, but she didn’t understand me, and she printed wrong tickets. Then I tried to explain her in few words in Croatian, that I lived in Karlovac, so I needed the tickets from there (we were in Zagreb in that moment) and then she got mad at me, because she told me “So you live in Croatia and you speak Croatian!”, but I was only able to say that and it was funny also (after the situation passed, of course).


Are there any Croatian words or expressions that you find particularly funny or memorable?

I have not a lot of vocabulary of words or expressions. But the first tongue twister that I learnt is N"a štriku se suši šareni šosić". Also, I have learnt the expression “Sto ljudi, sto ćudi”. Ah! And watching a film I saw an expression that was to wish luck, and they said “slomij nogu”, or something similar.


Do you think knowing Spanish has made learning Croatian easier in any way?

For me, no. I think that they are two different languages, and the structure, grammar and vocabulary are different. Croatian people say that Spanish for them is easy, but I think that is not the same when you learn Croatian. I think that Croatian people are used to Spanish for telenovelas, but before coming here I’ve never heard before Croatian. So, I was starting from zero. And as I said before, my mother tongue is Catalan, and I’m bilingual in Spanish and this helped me a lot when I learnt French, but not now that I’m learning Croatian.

I can find some similarities in some words, as “simpatičan (simpàtic), optimističan (optimista)”, but not a lot. Well, one day it was curious when I realized that in Karlovac vocabulary “butiga” means shop (in Catalan is botiga) and “blau” is blue (in Catalan is blau). And, it was curious when somebody told me that in Dalmatia cushion is “kušin”, and in Catalan is coixí (pronounced similar). So probably I could find more words or more expressions like this.


What do you think about the OLS platform? Do you find it useful for learning the Croatian language?

I have to say that in the very beginning for me Croatian was difficult, because I didn’t understand a word, and I didn’t know anything about the cases, so I saw the same word sometimes without knowing that it was the same. And, the translation doesn't work always, and I cannot copy and paste so it was hard to know what was written in there. Despite of that, I think that now that I have some “base”, it’s good because there are daily situations.


What cultural similarities have you noticed between Spain and Croatia? Are there any aspects of Croatian culture that remind you of Spain?

For me the culture between these two countries is different. In Spain, people live more outdoors, meeting with friends and being with family. In Croatia, people meet for a coffee, but I think that they don’t do the same outdoor life (probably for the weather).

For me there are not cultural aspects that are similar, but maybe it depends also on the region that we refer to.


How would you describe Croatian people and their way of life?

I see Croatian people as a really relaxed people. I have the impression that they don’t stress a lot when they work. All the things are made “polako”. And I live in Karlovac! So imagine… All people say that in the South people do all things “pomalo, pomalo”, so I cannot imagine hahahahahha.

In the shops I think that people are “cold” and “distant” it seems that they are angry if you enter there. Also, people at first are really closed in their groups, but it’s true that when you know them, they are warmer. They told me that this is maybe because I live in a village and in the north and in the interior.


What are some of your favorite spots in Karlovac to visit or spend time in?

I like walking around the riverside, above all during sunset. I also like going up to Dubovac castle.


Have you discovered any hidden gems or unique places in Croatia that you love?

For now, I felt in love with Šibenik. Also, I went to Varaždin, during the Špancirfest, and I think that is a nice village, and with the festival it was great (in this festival it was also curious, because without knowing it, I saw a show from a Catalan xaranga). Also, I liked a lot Slunj. For me it was like a village in a fairy tale.
All people say that Split and Dubrovnik are great, but I haven’t been there yet, so I cannot say anything about it.


How would you compare Croatian food to Spanish cuisine? Do you have a favorite Croatian dish?

Even though it’s Mediterranean cuisine, I think that there are some differences between dishes. I have to say that I didn’t taste a lot of Croatian typical dishes because I don’t eat meat, and in here the huge majority are with meat.


Are there any Croatian traditions or habits you’ve adopted since living here?

Not really. But for sure, my life goes slower!


Are there any places in Croatia you haven’t visited yet but would love to see?

Yes! For now, the typical ones: Split, Dubrovnik, Plitvička jezera.


What’s one thing you still want to experience or learn while living in Croatia?

My objective is to learn more about the culture and history of this country. Also, for sure, Croatian. I would love to learn a lot more!


Have you had any funny or surprising experiences while learning the language or adapting to life here?

For language, I don’t have a lot. For adapting to life some.
The first one was in the police, when I was trying to get my OIB. The first day that I went there with my boss, the women that was in the police office started to yell at me, looking at me and pointing me with the finger. I didn’t understand anything, but I felt what was going wrong. My boss told me that she was angry because I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt with shorts sleeves. The second time that I went there, I wore long trousers and long sleeves (we were in August, so it was hot).


What have you learned about yourself through this move and your time in Croatia?

I have learned that going abroad is a good experience because you learn another way to live and you see life in other eyes, but that it is also a hard experience. It is not easy to live far away from your friends and family. Also, I have learned that things want time, and that to adapt to a new place is important to be patient. Also, I realise that language is a key to communication and that it puts and deletes barriers.



If you could give advice to someone thinking about moving to Croatia, what would it be?

If I could give advice to someone, I will say that they have to look carefully what they want and what they expect, and like this they can find the place that is more suitable for them. And I will say that even Croatia is a beautiful country, during winter, in some places it can be cold, foggy and dark, so this is an important thing to think about it.


What’s your favorite memory so far from your life in Croatia?

I have more than one favourite memory. But I think that if I must choose, I will choose a week that I spent in Orahovica. The National Agency of Croatia organise the On-arrival training for volunteers that are in Croatia or some surrounding countries. During this training I met people from all over the world and we exchanged impressions, and we started a beautiful friendship between us.

Thank you for joining us on Ainona’s journey! We’d love to hear your thoughts or anything you'd like to share—feel free to leave a comment below.