Original article at www.vagabondjourney.com
For seasoned travelers or multilingual folk this information will likely be old hat. But for those of you who are a little naive like I was and come to a foreign country expecting people to speak your language, think twice. I found this out the hard way in Buenos Aires as I fumbled through my first 24 hours, wanting to interact with people but failing miserably.
Arriving at Jorge Newbery Airport on a Sunday night, I realized the cab I had booked in the crazy rush before leaving was not coming. With no smartphone to check my email or contact the greeting company, I had to deduce the best priced alternative, racking my brain for the Australian Dollar to Argentine Peso conversion rate.
Before I could pay for a cab though, I had to find an ATM. I therefore had to rely on the airport staff speaking English to find one quickly, as I wanted to get to my apartment as soon as possible. It’s a cliché I have heard many times in the weeks before and after I arrived, but the Argentinian women are truly beautiful and as I asked one of the pretty female staff for ATM directions, I instantly regretted not being able to speak Spanish.
I then felt like a jerk when I couldn’t say a word to the cab driver as he only spoke Spanish and I only spoke English. Arriving in a new city, I could ask nothing of my new surroundings as they passed by the passenger window.
The next day was even more revealing. Taking my little European Spanish phrasebook to a cafe I tried learning a few phrases unaware that my pronunciation was all wrong and I had no notion of the differences between Spainish Spanish, Latin Spanish, and even the quirks of Porteño Spanish (porteños refer to the people from Buenos Aires city).
While I initially romanticized learning Spanish, I soon begun realizing how little I could and would be able to communicate. When I ordered food I had to compromise in the sense that I couldn’t understand much of the menu and understood even less of how to ask for what I wanted. Cue the humiliation of the point and order.
I tried to memorize certain phrases before and after I ordered at cafes. I have used very few of these since commencing Spanish lessons with a local tutor, and I was aggravated that I could not fully express myself and connect with my new and exciting environment.
That said, a good piece of advice I got on the plane ride over was to always have a go at speaking the local language no matter how silly you feel or how little you know. Most people will appreciate the effort and it’s not worth getting upset at those who don’t because it will only discourage you from further learning and limit your experience.
The Argentinians that I have gone out with have all encouraged me to speak what Spanish I know, have taught me certain linguistic nuances and slang, and it has always been a lot of fun. In return, I have been able to reciprocate to some small degree when they have questions about English. It has been enjoyable trying to order a drink at a bar, even when I know my pronunciation is wrong, or go to a party with one more phrase or verb to use in conversation than the night before.
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Copyright © 2014 by Vagabond Journey Travel. This article was written by David Fegan and originally published at www.vagabondjourney.com
