Since I was eight, I have been teaching myself to sing the world's national anthems in their original languages. You might think it's a strange hobby. But I love how each anthem gives you a window into the culture, people and history of a country. I've learned 38 anthems so far with the aim to learn them all. The way I teach myself an anthem in a foreign language is by mimicking YouTube clips and watching pronunciation videos over and over. Once I learned the lyrics, then I dive into the research, working out what everything means connecting with their culture, and then I usually run out to tell Mum and Dad.
VIGNESHA: Did you know that the Dutch anthem is written in first person and pledges loyalty to the King of Spain? Whilst the Spanish anthem has no lyrics as they couldn't get a consensus on the words, and the Japanese anthem is the shortest anthem with only 15 words?
VIGNESHA'S MUM AND DAD: What? Where do you get all these facts from?
One day, I want to visit all these countries. I look forward to continuing this journey of learning every national anthem, only about 150 more to go.
