Ex-technologist, now an artist. My art: http://www.eugenialoli.com I’m also on PixelFed: https://mastodon.social/@EugeniaLoli@pixelfed.social

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  • 5 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
Cake day: July 10th, 2023
  • Eugenia@lemmy.mltoAsklemmy@lemmy.ml•What languages do you speak?English
    5·
    1 month ago

    Greek, English, and I understand a bit of French, since my husband is French. I lived for 9 months in Germany too, and I could understand a bit of that too, but that was 30 years ago and I’ve forgotten most of it.

    Truth is, I don’t really like verbal communication, in any language. I have trouble finding words (including my native one), it’s as if my brain is not optimized for language. It gets worse when I’m sick (I have multiple autoimmune issues), it’s as if language becomes a barrier. My husband becomes aggravated when I can’t find the right words to communicate. I wish we had telepathy, communicating with feelings.

  • Eugenia@lemmy.mltoAsklemmy@lemmy.ml•What do you think of Richard Stallman?English
    20·
    2 months ago

    I’m a woman, and have talked to him via email 2-3 times in the last 20 years. While I’ve met Torvalds, Jobs, and others in the industry when I was living in the Bay Area and working as a tech journalist, I never got to meet RMS – only via email. I think he has social issues, maybe he’s on the autistic side or something similar. I don’t think he understands clearly some of the things he’s saying when it comes to social stuff. He doesn’t get a pass, but at the same time, he’s a bit different as an individual, so that needs to be taken into account. When it comes to software, his heart is in the right place, and in fact, if it was me, I’d be even more strict (or more “Free” – depends how you see it), with GPL.

  • Eugenia@lemmy.mltoAsklemmy@lemmy.ml•Why do some Americans get angry at other people for not speaking English?English
    0·
    3 months ago

    Sorry, as a Greek-American (currently in Greece), I disagree with most of the people here. When you’re part of a new country, you need to be able to do your business with the authorities in the official language. For that, some level of understanding the native language is required. In fact, to get any passport from any country, you need to have a B1-level understanding of that country’s language. So yes, being in a country, you need to know the basics. And if you don’t, then make sure you learn the basics within 6 months, in order to be able to live there without issues. I don’t see that as xenophobia, I see it as common sense.

    I moved to Greece from the US this year with my French husband. He doesn’t speak Greek. I can tell you, it has been a nightmare for him doing paperwork, and I need to go with him EVERYWHERE in any government office in order to get setup. It wasn’t pretty in the first few months, he was full of anxiety and he wouldn’t leave the house without me.

    Also, I worked in Germany in my youth, for a few months. I couldn’t understand most of what was said (although I could pick up a few words, but certainly couldn’t speak back). It was a nightmare. There were no free programs back then to learn the language, and so I went there without any preparation. Today, I wouldn’t have done it that way. I would first learn the language in some basic form (today there are apps to do that), and then move there.