Native American

I've been having a laugh today because in the past few weeks I've been called a "Native American" several times.  Of course it would be lovely to be a member of that noble group of people known as Native Americans (historically called American Indians).  Unfortunately, I am not a "Native American" as my well-meaning students and friends sometimes say. I am a native speaker of American English which is what they are trying to say.

This is one of those difficult things about learning a foreign language--we sometimes say things that mean something entirely different from what we intended.  However, I think it is also one of the enjoyable things about learning a foreign language.  We get surprising opportunities to laugh, even in hard times.  We also get to hone our listening skills; to actually look into someone's eyes and pay close attention to what they're trying to say.  I think we forget to do that sometimes when we're speaking to people. 

Teaching a foreign language and living surrounded by foreign language teaches me to listen carefully, even to people I easily understand.

That's a good thing, isn't it?