It’s strange how the experiences that seem so little and
insignificant can end up being the same experiences that make your entire day.
One of those moments happened to me today, and I just had to share. Today while
taking a concho home from my community service, I managed to have a whole
conversation (in Spanish) with an absolute stranger. This may seem silly, but I
am so proud of that conversation.
When I got
into the concho this morning, there was a cute little family that had a mom, a
dad, a four-year-old son, and a 2-year-old daughter. The kids were sitting on their parent’s laps.
I was squished next to the dad and the son. This little boy was absolutely
adorable, so said hi, and tried to make some small talk with him. The boy was
shy, so the dad apologized, and we started to talk.
He asked
about my white coat in my lap, and asked where I was studying. I told him how I
was from the US, and how I was studying medicine in the US. The man and his
wife smiled, and nodded, and told me that they were both Pastors. They pointed out the direction of their
church, and told me I was welcome to stop by sometime, or attend there service.
They asked what I was studying here, and I told them how I was here to learn
Spanish. The wife looked at me very kindly and lovingly, and told me how great
it was for me to be here studying Spanish. The husband said he thought my
Spanish was very good.
I know that
seems like a small compliment to receive, but it made my entire trip. When I
first got here to the DR, I remember being so nervous because I was afraid that
I wasn’t going to know enough Spanish to be able to communicate with anyone.
The first dinner I had with my host family, I listened to my family talk, but
barely talked myself. The last Spanish class I had was my junior year of high
school, and I just started my sophomore year in college. And on top of that,
the DR has it’s own accent, it’s own slang, and they speak at a very rapid
pace. I had absolutely no confidence with my Spanish, and was worried that
people would judge my “gringa” (white girl) accent. At the very beginning, I
understood less than half of what I heard, and I felt like I was completely in
over my head.
Here I am
not even 3 weeks later. I’ll tell funny stories to my host family, and I’ll
understand the majority of what they say. My grammar and vocabulary have
improved immensely. I’ve even learned a lot of medical Spanish. I’m able to
understand the Dominican accent, and I’ve noticed that I’ve picked a lot of it
up in my Spanish, too. I’ve learned a bunch of Dominican-specific words, like “un
chin”, “qué chulo”, “qué lo qué”, and “guagua”.
I’ve even started thinking in Spanish a little bit.
And on top
of all of that, I had a complete conversation today with an absolute stranger.
I understood almost everything he said, which is incredible for me. The fact
that he even complemented me on my Spanish, and expressed such gratitude
towards me for attempting to learn Spanish in the first place just fills me
with joy. Today’s conversation with the pastor and his wife validated my entire
experience abroad. I’ve learned so much, I’m adjusting to the new culture, and
I’ve gotten to meet some amazing people. This journey has been so incredible
already, and I’m not even halfway done. I know my Spanish is nowhere near
perfect, but I have made some drastic improvements. I am so proud of how much I’ve
grown already. (Shout out to my Spanish teacher, Prof. Navajas, for making this
trip possible, and for helping us all absorb the language so well!)
Anyways, I
was so busy talking to the pastor and his wife in the conch that I almost
missed my stop. When the concho driver pulled over, I said my goodbyes to the
family, and the Pastor gave me his phone number in case I ever needed anything
while here in Santiago. I am so glad to have met such a kind-hearted person,
and I am so glad that I still have 3 more weeks in this country.
P.S. Here's a link to a reeeaally popular song here in the DR called Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony.
This is mostly for my little sister, Rachel, because she love music, so I think she'd find this song interesting. :) Vivir Mi Vida
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