By asthaa
This week, on a free Wednesday afternoon some of us GW students decided to spend the afternoon and evening in El Retiro, what I think of as the Spanish version of Central Park. As I walked to the park, I expected to finish some homework and perhaps get acquainted with my neighborhood some more. But enjoying relaxing on the grass was not enough for us; we made the spontaneous decision to go boating in the lake in El Retiro. I quickly realized how terrible I am at rowing. Coincidentally, the three vegetarian girls on the trip happened to be in the same boat (both literally and figuratively) and if it wasn’t for my friend Sarah we may have never left the dock and then been able to return. Rowing in El Retiro was beautiful and produced many laughs but it was quite the challenge for me as well.
I begin this post with that little anecdote because, in my first week and a half here in Madrid, the biggest challenge has been Spanish. The beauty of having three and half months is that one can have a calm and easy introduction into a city that is my home for this semester. However, any skills I thought I had acquired over the years did not equip me for being in a country where I did not grow up speaking the language. Not being able to understand a rapid conversation and having to ask my host family to repeat things more than once has been difficult and can change the way that I would normally communicate or behave. Not being as fluent or fluent at all means listening more and speaking less.
The language factor has forced me to keep persisting when I’m outside my comfort zone. Most of my time spent abroad, at least in the instances that I can remember, has been in English-speaking or Hindi-speaking countries. I am grateful for the patience of my professors, friends, and family in Madrid, without whom I would feel lost.
Speaking Spanish more and more has meant moving beyond any frustrations that I have with myself. At the end of the day, the most important thing is absorbing the culture of Madrid, and enjoying the accordion music I often hear outside my window in the evening.