Column: Language on the Table

Column: Language on the Table (Peter Cruiming)

Language is something magical. It’s not just a way to express yourself, but also a mirror of culture. Here in the Algarve, I notice that every language has its own flavor. English is practical, almost everyone speaks it, but native speakers often have a vocabulary that makes you feel a bit lost as a non-native. You hear words the rest of the expats never use, and suddenly you realize the difference between “being able to communicate” and truly belonging to a language.

It gets even funnier when languages collide. The other day I told some Dutch people we were going to have an early dinner. They looked at me blankly. In the Netherlands, that concept simply doesn’t exist – dinner is at six, sharp. As if the whole country eats by the same clock.

What a relief it is to live here in the Algarve. You eat whenever you want: early, late, with friends gathered around a long table, always with room for connection. Language and culture blend here, just like a good glass of wine and a plate full of fresh Portuguese vegetables. Honestly? I say: long live the Algarve, long live freedom – and long live the language that teaches us this.