Fifth Entry -- Learning the Language

Fact: I don't speak Spanish. Despite studying it two full semesters in college, nothing stuck with me. It's like those lessons never happened. This makes living in Spain hard. Really, really, REALLY difficult. If you've never spent time in a foreign country, you don't realize how much of your everyday survival and general comfort depends on knowing the language. Everything…E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G that involves speaking, reading or listening is either extremely challenging or incredibly time-consuming. Asking for directions. Reading a menu. Buying groceries. Following instructions. Making change. Studying a map. Mailing postcards. Checking a bus schedule. Purchasing a ticket. Calling on the phone. Borrowing a pen. Watching television. Scheduling an appointment.....you get the idea.

During my first few weeks (and even now to some degree), my tactic has been to allow a LOT of time for simple tasks when I'm out in public. I've largely relied on a few simple phrases and pointing to things I need or want. This works fine when the thing I want or need is within sight. Not so easy when it's written out and there's no visual image to go along with the item. Menus and written packages are especially tricky. Most of the time, early on, I'd simply go without or resort to asking someone in English to help me. I'm trying NOT to do that. I don't wanna be that foreigner who assumes I can just speak my own language and others should too. 

My neighborhood jogging path

Eventually I started writing out phrases, using my English/Spanish dictionary, and practicing them in my head but having them on paper just in case I needed them. My worry has been (and still is) not understanding the other person when they speak back to me. That's why I don't stop people and ask for directions. If I'm lucky enough to get my question out of my mouth, chances are I won't understand a thing they say when they describe for me where to go. It's just easier to wander around myself and get lost. But writing things down has helped. For example, when I needed to buy a train ticket for my day trip to Ronda, I wrote out my desired departure and arrival times and the specific dates. But I had to remember that times are done in 24-hour military numbers -- so 2:00pm is 14:00 for example. Also dates are written in reverse of ours -- so 10/21 is 21-10 for example. This is what I mean by things taking so long...every little detail must be figured out. So to buy my ticket, I look up the words and practice my sentence structure. At the train station counter with my paper in hand, I said, "I'd like to buy (quiero comprar) a ticket (un billete) to Madrid (para Madrid). Somehow with more pointing and hand gestures, I managed to (finally) accomplish the task. sigh! 

The GORGEOUS bridge in Ronda

Another time, I needed to buy a polishing spray that I use on my hair. I brought a travel size bottle, but wanted more (yes, these are my problems). I was feeling a little braver by now since I'd taken several Spanish lessons at a language school here in town. I decided to use some of my new skills and took the empty bottle with me for extra help. Bear in mind stores here aren't like stores at home. We have giant-ass markets in the U.S. One-stop-shopping is, for the most part, our way of life as Americans. Thank you Costco and Wal-mart (NOT!). Here (as in much of Europe and other areas of the world), stores are created and divided by what it is you need and want. You need medicine or drugs -- you go to la farmacia (pharmacy). You need shoes -- you go to la zapatería (shoe store). You want meat -- you go to the carnicería (butcher). But if you prefer fish -- you go to the pescadería (fish shop…fish monger's in other English speaking countries). And so on. I actually kinda like it. You get in and out of stores easily. There's no wandering aimlessly around a ginormous building looking for that one thing you need when you're in a hurry. It's more sociable and personable cuz you meet 'n greet more people and get served by somebody who specializes in THAT particular thing you're buying. And…it's better for the economy. More small, independent stores allow for more employment as well as competition. OK, so anyway…I need to get this polishing spray stuff for my hair. I'd already figured out, by walking around and peering in windows, that I should go to a drogueria (not to be confused with what we call a 'drugstore' which in fact DID confuse me at first until I realized what we know as a "drugstore" is what's called a 'farmacia' in Spain. sigh!) So here I have this empty bottle of Thermafuse polishing spray. And no, "polishing spray" is not in my dictionary (go figure!). But hairspray and hair gel ARE, so at least I can say that I'm NOT looking for 'laca' or 'fijador' (when in doubt, say what you don't want). I go into the store with my bottle and a sticky note. On it I've written the words I hope will help me. "Buscando está [I'm looking for this -- *show the bottle*]. No se cómo se llamas en español [I don't know what it's called in Spanish]. No es fijador o laca." At this point, I'm also prepared to say (if necessary): "Aprendo español. Habla más despacio, por favor. [I'm learning Spanish. Speak slower, please.]" In the end, the transaction went fairly smoothly, although actually, the store didn't carry what I wanted and I was instructed to go to a hair salon (which, thanks to my classes, I understood when the woman told me that.)

The other side of the GORGEOUS bridge 

I wasn't as lucky, though, the day I went to the bank to exchange money and stood in line over half an hour waiting for my number to be called. Apparently when I pushed the button on the kiosk to get my number, which has a digital touch-screen monitor, I selected the option to see a loan officer about buying an apartment! I guess there was a different button I needed to press to speak to the teller for the exchange.

It's no surprise that virtually NOTHING I say comes out of my mouth the way I hear it in my head. And when faced with an actual person (especially a stranger), my tongue gets so badly tied that it's a wonder I make any sense at all. Yes, I'm trying desperately to be patient with myself. I'm 44 years old dammit and my brain doesn't quite work the way it did when I was learning Swedish long ago. Sadly, I want very badly to sound good. I'd like for even the simplest words and phrases to come out somewhat smoothly, so I go over and over them in my head then try to speak them at a normal speaking pace. But that almost never works. At least not for me. It's a royal mess! My point is, you can't simply figure out what you want to say in English then look up each individual word in Spanish. Languages don't work that way. Every language has its own set of rules and grammar and syntax. They don't translate directly from one to the other. This is why people can sound so funny (and why it's so scary) when they speak because if trying to translate directly, the words are likely in the wrong order or conjugation. So now I'm working on a new tactic. Instead of trying to sound like a Spanish-speaking person, I'm focusing on trying to be understood. This means slowing down. WAY down. And trying to pronounce words accurately (at least somewhat accurately) and clearly. I figure if I can be understood and complete a transaction, that should hopefully build my confidence and help my progress. 

Up in the Albaycin in Granada

I have a renewed empathy and compassion for people in the U.S. who can't speak English. I know it's a huge controversy and political issue. The subject is by no means a simple one, and I don't mean to generalize. But, I truly and sincerely understand why non-native speakers struggle with and at times resist learning the language. It can be very interesting. It can be a ton of fun. It can also suck butt!! And sometimes when you're just tired and worn out and can't find the polishing spray you need for your hair (among other, more necessary things), you want to give up. It makes your brain hurt. It can make you grumpy. Is it *necessary* to learn? uhm…maybe not, but it's damned near impossible to do anything without knowing *some* of the native language. Should we, in the U.S. *require* immigrants to learn English? That's a great question. It's a tough question. Sure there are valid arguments. Safety, for example, can be an issue (like when a non-native speaker is driving a car and can't understand road signs and such). But if we are going to require people to learn our language, we have to, we MUST factor in the human element. It takes time. Lots of time. And mistakes are made and it's easier for some than it is for others. We need to have some compassion and patience with folks learning English. It has an awful lot of verbs and subjunctives for pity's sake!! When I get home, the next time I'm on the bus or in a store and hear a couple rattling off in Spanish or Russian or Chinese or whatever…I'll understand. It may be the first time all day they've had a chance to vent or catch up with family or, or…ask the other person how they're managing finding their way around that ginormous department store when all they want was a damn toothbrush!

Really lovin' these narrow alleys

I've since finished two full weeks of Spanish lessons (3 hours a day/5 days a week). We covered a LOT of ground and I got tons of vocabulary words. Unfortunately, I don't think we students got to practice speaking nearly enough, but the classes were still worth it. I met cool people and walked away with more tools. And it was really great to hear other students learning too and realizing I wasn't the only one. Last Saturday I joined a tour group (arranged through the school) to visit Las Alpujarras -- the tiny, white-washed villages tucked away in the ridges of the south side of the Sierra Nevadas. It was an AWESOME day and the guide spoke entirely in Spanish. I think I got about 50 - 60% of the information! Granted, he spoke clearly and slowly since we were all non-native speakers learning the language, but I could tell that my classes had helped train my ear and I felt like I got most of what I needed out of the day. I think I'm at that stage where I'm understanding more. Reading is getting easier too. These are usually the steps right before being able to actually speak in a reasonable fashion. And that's exciting!

This afternoon I visited the train station again to buy another ticket for my friend coming to visit. I spent a little time beforehand looking up a few words, but I was definitely more prepared to have an actual conversation. Gestures and bad grammar were still a huge part of the transaction, but I got through it and walked away with what I needed. It'll be fantastic if I can continue on the upswing and get to a point where the words come a bit more easily. It'll be even better if I can continue to practice and learn Spanish when I get back to the States.