Baby Talk, Baby Steps

I have been taking Spanish lessons for a few years now, and I am to the point where I can understand a fair bit if people speak slowly, and keep the topic basic. But after over 3 years of weekly lessons, I can really still speak very little. It's like being a toddler, I am told. They understand much more than they can say.

Then, suddenly, I arrived in Mexico, and I CAN SPEAK!

It's always good to know what you're eating but sometimes at
the market you just have to take a chance!

Now, I am not here arguing philosophy with professors. I am walking into a shop, asking if they have something we can carry Sarah's resume around in, or asking if they have anything chocolate for dessert. But it just suddenly got a lot easier to "produce" a little basic Spanish, which is a thrill.

Randy was able to find out that although
the saleswoman and I had the same sweater
(bought from the same vendor), she paid quite
a bit less for hers.

I think part of the difference is that back in Minnesota, in the classroom setting, in our home, or in public, I felt encumbered by grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary - it was about speaking Spanish well, which is intimidating. And if I saw an opportunity to talk to a native Spanish speaker, I felt horribly presumptuous. And it seemed like every time I asked a question in Spanish, they answered me in flawless English!

But here in Mexico, there is no net. Mostly they don't speak English here. And it's appropriate for me to try to speak Spanish, no matter how poorly - we are in a Spanish speaking country. If I don't know a word, I have to talk around it to get my point across. And if I find myself bumbling, I have to get myself together and try again. And they seem to try to work with me at my level.

Our neighborhood market chicken butcher. No matter
how good your Spanish is, you can't tell him that he
shouldn't handle raw chicken, then money, then chicken...

As long, that is, as Sarah remains silent. As soon as she speaks - sometimes as soon as they see her - whomever we are communicating with leaves me in the dust and talks to Sarah instead. They somehow know that she is the one of the two of us who actually speaks the language.

So, I have gotten a little bit of a shot in the arm, a little confidence, coming here and being able to speak and to be understood in some basic real life situations. And that is a darned good thing, because I will need confidence going into my Spanish lessons which start tomorrow.

Wish me luck!