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Originally Posted by
Crankin
Yes, I am OK with rudimentary, tourist Spanish. But, whenever I need a verb (or a different tense) I cannot answer or participate in a conversation! I can usually understand through context. DH and I really want to do an immersion program for at least 2-3 weeks. But, at least I can go into a store and get by in Spanish. When we rented the apt. in Italy, I was totally illiterate and did not understand that you need to weigh your produce and put a price on it before you bring it to the cashier. The cashier started yelling at me, so i just said "No parlo Italiano," and she took me by the hand and showed me. I felt horrible. Lots of profuse "Grazie, Signora," from me!
I totally get that! There is nothing like being treated like a six year old to make one feel humbled. It has happened to me on quite a few occasions here in Mexico, and it is tough. I pride myself on being competent and on top of things most of the time, but not speaking the language well has a way of making my self-esteem take a real hit. OTOH, on the rare occasions when I do manage to understand, answer a question, whatever, I feel great! I've learned SO much since beginning with ZIP Spanish (I studied French in high school), but the more you know, the more you realize you don't know. Verb tenses, yeah, forget it. I am lucky if I just know the verb at all.
Another thing that makes it even worse for me is that I have pretty high levels of social anxiety. So while I can do my online Spanish classes by myself with a reasonable degree of proficiency, put me into a situation where I'm dealing with actual human beings, and I turn into a mono-syllabic stutterer. This makes living here more of a challenge to me than it might be to someone who is not so anxious in social situations.
Emily
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