By August I’d been permanently residing in Flanders about a month during which I’d encountered local Dutch speakers sans translator many times.  Somewhere around then I had to stop in the local town hall to take care of some paperwork.  After approaching a clerk I asked if he spoke English to which he replied with the familiar response I’ve heard over and over again “a little.”

For a couple of months now I’ve been attending Dutch courses and feel lucky to muster enough vocabulary and pronunciation to a ask simple question or make a basic statement.  If someone asks if I speak Dutch I would say a little or “een beetje” in Dutch.

Now, this gentleman and I were able to hold an extended conversation during which we discussed requirements for my identity card, registering my address and some additional official business in near flawless English.  That is “een beetje” more than a little English.

I found it surprising to move to a country with 3 official languages, none of which are English, and still communicate in public using my native tongue.  Still it’s the level of modesty expressed here that I continue to find remarkable and occasionally amusing.