A little while ago, when Conor and I were in a cab with our friend Owen, the driver turned around and asked in rapid fire Spanish, "Voy a parar para llenar, ¿Está bien?" Conor, Owen, and I all stared back at him, and attempted to decipher what he said. Just as Conor and Owen were asking the man to repeat his request, I jumped in and said "I think he wants to know if it's okay to stop for gas." Not seconds later, we pulled into a gas station. One point for Tay Tay!
Outside of the cab (drivers in Colombia often ask you to get out at gas stations as they are very concerned about the gas tank blowing up...#safetyfirst), I reflected on how I, someone who has much less Spanish speaking experience than both Conor and Owen, understood the driver first. I'm probably just smarter, right? Not quite. Instead of listening to individual words and figuring out what each one meant like the guys did, I read the driver's body language, considered the situation (he was our taxi driver, about to take us on a long trip), and used my past experiences (once before a taxi driver of mine stopped for gas). The, I took an informed guess at what was said.
Once we were back in the taxi, Owen brought an interesting theory to our attention: could this difference in listening style be related to gender? As a nerd, I was hooked on this possible "Language Listening Gender Theory." I realized the taxi driver situation did represent how Conor and I tend to operate linguistically. Conor knows a LOT more Spanish, as he took Spanish for many years during high school. He is much better at identifying words and using the proper conjugations of verbs than I am. However, I tend to be much more astute at reading situations in general and deciphering the overall gist of what is being communicated. Hmmm was Owen right about the gender thing?
When were home later that day, I did some research, and found that this gender theory was scientifically supported! As reported in Scientific American, the Journal Neuropsychologia found men and women process words differently when working in their second language. According to their study, "Girls completing a linguistic abilities task showed greater activity in brain areas implicated specifically in language encoding, which decipher information abstractly. Boys, on the other hand, showed a lot of activity in regions tied to visual and auditory functions.” WOW! Don't you just love applying science to real life? Side note, I'm convinced I could have been a cultural anthropologist in another life...but let’s table that for now.
Language learning, in general, has taken many forms since we moved to Colombia. If you know me well, you know I only spoke English and some French before moving here (shout out to the FHS French department)! Although I have #noregrets about my 6 years of French classes in middle and high school, I have to admit I was pretty worried when we decided to move to a Spanish speaking country. When we accepted our jobs at Colegio Bolivar, I had NO SPANISH abilities... AT ALL. To prepare, Conor and I took some private Spanish classes before we moved, but as a beginner in the language, I was clinging to just a few words and phrases. ¿Puedo tocar a tu perro?
Navigating a world in which you do not speak the predominant language is as hard as it sounds. In the beginning, I was overwhelmed, but desperate to communicate, so I listened a TON. I tried to soak in every word and phrase I heard, and Conor forced me to speak for myself whenever possible: ordering meals, giving directions, asking for products at stores, etc. I've noticed that when faced with these situations, some people feel embarrassed, but ignored my discomfort and pushed forward with no shame. What got me through was the idea that the only way to get better was to speak. So, I did...very badly, and at first like a cavewoman. Slowly, words and phrases began to cement in my brain, although I admit it was (and still is) exhausting.
At school, although I do all my instruction in English, there are still many opportunities to learn Spanish in a workday. At Bolivar, all of our staff meetings and grade level meetings are conducted in both English and Spanish and these are great opportunities to pick up more Spanish words and phrases. Every meeting, to this day, I scribble down words I don't know and ask those around me for definitions, after guessing what they mean myself. Although my brain is sometimes tired after a long day of teaching, I try my best to embrace these meetings as free Spanish lessons.
Speaking of Spanish lessons, Conor and I did take formal lessons last year in the first semester, which were paid for by the school. In the second part of the year, we paid for our own lessons with a tutor recommended by a friend. These lessons were great for foundational work, but I have discovered the best way I learn is by speaking and listening in real-life situations. Hey Madame Christolini, now I know why you had us act out so many simulations of real-life situations in high school French class! I suspect Conor and I will return to our formal lessons again after Christmas break for one last push before we move back home.
After all this practice, I must be fluent by now, right? Heck no! At the moment I am strong level 1 slash level 2 speaker. I am pushing myself to engage in Spanish daily, but I know being married to a fellow native English speaker limits my natural exposure. All my single expat friends have picked up much more Spanish than I have...maybe cruising Colombian Tinder has some language learning merit!? Overall, I feel proud of how far I have come and know I will continue to grow my Spanish skills as this year goes on.
Favorites:
-Conor's students surprising him at school with a birthday cake and giant sparkler candle for his birthday #firehazard?
-Visiting my former student’s (and Conor’s current student!) home, where we went swimming in a river, ate dinner and listening to a Colombian neighborhood band
-Bonding with our fellow staff members at the annual middle/high school Chorrera del Indio gathering where we took in the mountain air and swam under the waterfall
-Conor meeting the Boston College rep at the Bolivar fair and introducing his students to his alma mater (Go Eagles!!)
-Watching America de Cali take on Deportivo Cali in “El Clasico” Soccer match (America de Cali and Deportivo Cali are the two teams in Cali, so when they play each other, it is a BIG deal.) America won!
-Relaxing in the natural thermals of San Vincente to celebrate Conor’s birthday with our friends, Nikki and Diego!
-Playing volleyball and softball for the teacher team at Bolivar’s Sports Day...unfortunately, we lost all of our games...our students are very athletic!
-Our teacher book club meeting- we both recommend “Things That Make White People Uncomfortable” by Michael Bennett, who is the new defensive lineman for the New England Patriots.
Schooled:
A few days ago I had my long-awaited appointment with a Colombian dermatologist (when the school doctor at Bolivar saw the swollen bug bites circling my ankles she referred me). I had hoped that perhaps the dermatologist, who was a very nice woman and the mother of one of my students, would present me with a miracle pill to make me immune to bug bites. Gimme the good stuff! However, after examining my ankles, she wrote a prescription for a
cream to treat the swelling and dropped me some very practical advice “No dresses. Wear more pants. Shield your ankles.” Whomp whomp...it looks like there is no magic cure for hungry Colombian mosquitoes and sensitive skin. #SOS #schooled