When I first moved to Zwolle, The Netherlands, I needed to learn Dutch. I was living with a Dutch family and going to high school. It was pretty tiring in the beginning so some words were more important than others. “Tired” being one of them as I was always tired; especially from the language.
However… here is the kicker…instead of saying I am tired though I kept saying to everyone that I was pretty. So my nightly sentence was “I am pretty so I need to go to sleep.” It was awhile until I learned my mistake and I was so embarrassed.
Mooi – pretty
Moe – tired
Not the same. Oh well. I did learn to speak Dutch and I loved it! I also learned how to ride a bike in all kinds of weather; including snow and ice. When I recently returned to Amsterdam, I realized sadly that I probably had lost both skills, Dutch and my skilled bike riding. Maybe another reason to return and stay longer next time?
