Comunicacion

Q:What do you call someone who can speak 3 languages?A:Trilingual
Q:What do you call someone who can speak 2 languages? A:Bilingual
Q:What do you call someone who can speak only one language? A:American


Yesterday, I was complimented on my Spanish. Granted it was only after I complimented him on his English. Still, it felt good. Practicing my Spanish was one of the main reasons I chose to come to Mexico this travel season.

While I was in Japan last year, I remember really admiring my American friends' ability to communicate with the locals in Japanese. As Americans*, we don't have the multi-lingual head start that many Europeans or others have. This ability to communicate with more than just my countrymen led me to the decision to really focus on keeping up my Spanish.

Since being here, I've had two really rewarding conversations, ones where I know that I've conveyed myself well, proving to myself that, in a pinch, I can get my point across. In one instance, I saw a guy with jugglers on this shirt. I asked him about it and we ended up talking circus talk for the remainder of the bus ride. In the other case, I conducted "small talk" with a barber who cut my hair.* *

In a few short days (maybe tomorrow even), I will cross the border into Belize and be back in an English speaking country. This last week, while I've proved to myself I retained more Spanish than I thought, but I didn't get as much practice in as I wanted. Luckily, Guatemala and returning to Mexico are on the agenda.
Sunday March 7 2010File under: travel

Toggle Comments (2)comment?
on Mon 08th Mar, 2010 11:19 am PST Ryan said:
Para el malabarista:¿Son pelotas que llevas en sus bolsillos o estas alegre de verme?
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on Wed 17th Mar, 2010 07:26 am PDT Wren said:
The communication thing can backfire sometimes too. I went to a circus with a cute Argentinian gal the other night in Flores Guatemala and in trying to make small talk, I asked her if she had any grandchildren (nietos) instead of nieces and nephews (sobrinos). She gestured a stab to the heart before laughing as I turned beet red realizing my mistake.
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