spanish missteps
Gotta start with a classic: the laundry detergent. Washed my clothes with dish detergent for about a week and a half before I saw the same detergent at a friend’s house and she told me it’s ~technically~ for your dishes.
At the yarn store the other day, I google translated “circular” before entering and saying “necessito knitting needles.” Turns out the only word I could remember was the number for what size knitting needles. After that lady rushed to find her English speaking colleague, she showed me to the size of yarn I was looking for. I asked her if the yarn with Alpaca in it was itchy. To which she then explained to me that they do not in fact skin the Alpacas to make their yarn.
Had a lovely customer experience situation where the woman was asking me something in Catalan about needing a bag which I couldn’t understand because she was speaking quietly. She then repeated it louder and when I said “sorry” in English, she proceeded to throw her hands up and roll her eyes at me. After our transaction she said “bye” in a tone of English I think is possibly on reserve for only the most ignorant gringos.
More recently I picked out a bell pepper at the store with their provided produce gloves, but saw no scale or tag, so I took it to the register. With a line of 20 people behind me she told me I would need to go back and find the number for it. Didn’t need the bell pepper or that many people angry with me that badly.
Made the TikTok feta and tomato pasta with a hunk of feta. Turns out “queso por salade” with a photo of a Mediterranean landscape is not in fact feta.
Went to grab a coffee with a friend on a dreary day and was wanting to order a snack. Told the lady we would like a menu. Five minutes later she brings me out my drink with a plate of spaghetti and a steak. Couldn’t remember ordering it but menu means something different everywhere ya go I guess.
It’s not all bad though. There’s the lady at the neighborhood grocery who gives me candies and asks how I’m doing when she knows my husband is away at a race. There are the old ladies in the art store who ask to see photos of what I’m painting every time I come back for more canvases. But in a world where you walk around thinking in a language that isn’t native to everyone around you, these little acts of kindness make all the difference. I’m learning Spanish, attempting Catalan and mostly just sweating a lot under my mask every time someone asks me a question in Spanish. But I’d say since it’s only been a month we’re doing great.
*Other tip, stop trying to make recipes you made in America. No matter what ingredients you buy here it will never taste the same. Accept the change! Enjoy the brownies that are burnt on top but raw in the middle because your oven conversion was wrong.
