Well, it finally happened.  I got in a taxi this afternoon heading for the airport to fly to Vienna, and I actually had a conversation – in SPANISH – with the taxi driver!  Admittedly it was with simple phrasing and he forgave some grammatical gaffs, but it was a conversation!  We have been here for just about three months even and I have forced myself to stumble through as  many Spanglish conversations as possible, encouraging locals to help me “practicar mi Espanol” (practice my Spanish), and I have stopped apologizing for trying.  It’s definitely working.  Most people are willing to slow down (man they speak so fast), correct me gently, and actually encourage me by saying that I actually speak pretty well.  I usually blush and then puff up my chest in pride…after all I can trill my “r’s” pretty darned well (but I do forget to lisp on the Bar-the-lona” type words.  So sue me.

 Andrew and I have enrolled in Spanish classes that are held at Eitan’s school by a great 3rd party firm – he is in the entry level and I got placed in the middle level (she puffs up the chest again).  Well, after four years of Spanish in high school and college – though that was in ancient times – it would have been mortifying to start all over.  There are only five of us in the class and the instructor is the sweetest, funniest guy named Jorge.  Jorge does not speak any English to us in class unless we are desperate (no comprendo, no comprendo!), and this is actually really fun and encouraging as we all help each other string things together. 

 The very best session we had the other day got us on a tangent about the linguistic mistakes people (we) make when learning a new language.  I don’t think the stories we told would translate very well, but we were truly in stitches sharing the kinds of mistakes we have each made trying to be understood.  One example was the mistake I made years ago telling our Mexican au pair “Yo soy embaresada”  – I meant to say I was embarrassed about something but what I said was that I was pregnant!  You get the idea.  An instant sisterhood emerged (we are five women, all Moms of kids at the international school, from various backgrounds). 

 Being able to communicate in a foreign country really is a big milestone.  This cross-over has made me feel as though I won’t always be a tourist in the eyes of the locals. I may be a transplant, but not a just-passing-through kinda gal.  I am going to go out on a limb here and say that not all countries I have visited have residents so open to helping communicate across language barriers – I am grateful for that here.  Even more, many people really want to learn English so it becomes a symbiotic relationship very quickly.   I am sure with a few more months and a willingness to sound a little silly here and there, Andrew will get to feel the same way.  He is really trying, and being able to “shmooze” is such an intrinsic part of who he is is a great motivator.  Eitan is our beacon – he even has all the good swear words down pat (Don’t ask, I am not repeating them).  

 More soon – hasta pronto! (see you soon)