Breaking Down Language Barriers without Words

March 9, 2013. Now today (Saturday)! We have the weekend off to spend with our host families which was terrifying but I'm surviving. It's amazing how familiar things can help calm you. I woke up and went out around 7:30am and there was a box of Corn Flakes and an empty bowl waiting for me. Mmmmm. I didn't even eat corn flakes at home but man did they taste good :). I told my host mom that we have them in the states too. She then cleaned my room and bathroom for me! Paola put music on which was another wonderful thing to have. I then worked up the courage to show Paola my album and my family. She seemed to like it and said everyone is beautiful. She was surprised to hear how many cousins I have. I went back to my room and fiddled around... I try to stay out there with them, listen and talk a little so they know I want to be involved but they leave me alone most of the time. So when I don't know what to do, I go back in my room with the door open and write, read or study. Which I'm okay with but I don't know if they think I'm being rude or if they think I want to just be alone... I went outside for a bit and got to talk with Paola about hair. She was braiding her mom's hair so I asked how to say braid, she told me and then got a doll to do her hair in front of me. She showed me another cool way to braid! Then she let me show her and I told her I could only do a normal braid so I did :) My host mother took us to La Colmada which is like a small store down the street to get tomatoes. I also had the best mango I've ever had which my host mother got off the roof of her neighbor's place. I went back in my room and realized how much my brain is in overdrive. I'm thinking in English but am constantly trying to figure out how to say what I'm thinking in Spanish. My dictionary and notebook are glued to my hip in my bed so I can keep looking stuff up and writing them down. Hopefully it just helps though... Around 11:30 we went to the supermarket! It was huge! Like a super Walmart. But they are convinced that in the states, they are much bigger. I told Paola and many of the things in the store are the same in the states. They had Doritos!! I'm set ;). Their money is going to take some getting used to though. They use the dollar sign ($) too but a 2 liter bottle of pop is like $56 (pesos-pictures to come). It's strange to see. My host mother bought me and Paola two little bags of cookies :). Oh, random but I'm not wearing any makeup! Lol crazy, I know but the humidity makes it pointless though. Just have to get used to the face in the mirror... Anyways, I just had lunch and went back to my room and decided to do this so here I am! I'll keep adding to this until I can email it to you or start this blog thing but we'll see.
(Totally passed out for an hour here, oops! I think I'll blame the heat and that my brain in overdrive).
We went for a walk when I woke up. I learned that the blocks around this area are called a certain fruit (not saying specifics here for a reason) and my host mother lives on "Insert Fruit Here" A. I saw E, F, and I on our walk. Paola wanted to know if some houses in the US are made out of trailers like the one we saw. I said yes and she was surprised haha I wish I could have somehow told her that we have one but I didn't know how to explain that it wasn't my house per say, just a place to visit on property that we owned... Nor was I sure I wanted to explain that. We saw banana trees and mango trees and broken beer bottles on top of a wall. The gates around the driveways and windows really are beautiful and there are so many colors. It was nice to move around though I didn't talk much. We came back and Paola and her friend started making a bracelet. It was just like the ones I used to make forever ago with the knots of colored strings! We then sat outside for a while and the neighbor (Jenna?) with the little boys came over. Paola showed me how to jump rope and then asked if I wanted to play volleyball. Why of course! We played in the front patio and then Paola went into the neighbor's yard so that the wall could be our net. The ball kept hitting either the wall and hitting our faces or the cables above us but it was so fun. I let the little boy play and throw the ball too :) I just kept saying, "Good!" or "Again!" or "Ay no!" and other various things I knew and could repeat (don't worry, I'm laughing at that too). Love it. My host mother made coffee and gave me some. I now drink it black with LOTS of sugar! haha and I actually like it! You never get a full cup though so it looks like an espresso. Anyways, we finally got tired of playing after I had my coffee so we rested, talked about it being hot, that we were tired and that Paola's feet were dirty haha. The other friend came over and they started playing Dominoes. I think I'll go back out and watch. I may not be talking much but I really do feel like I can pick out more words already. So I want to keep trying. I just hope it's not weird to them that I sit there in silence and listen!
ah! The last couple hours have been amazing! More kids came over and we played more volleyball. One girl from down the street gave me a gift! It is a ceramic circle painted yellow with an apple and a pear on it :D (picture to come!). Then I rested and the little one year old let me hold him! The adults talked about it and smiled at me :) Then the girl who gave me the gift bought me un chiclet and I told them that in English, we call it "gum." They laughed and we blew bubbles. The girls brought out a jump rope and I tried that too. Failing miserably because I think I'm too tall for them to do it for me... haha. But I just watched them play, interacted a little, tried to ask them questions to learn more... It just felt so great. Then my host mom made me the sandwich with the cheese and salami. It really is simple and delicious. Paola came in to eat with me because I was able to understand my host mom when she asked if I wanted another sandwich and I said no, thank you. She gave my second one to Paola. We talked a little about the weather and that she thinks it's cold. I told her that in NY, it's much colder than this. She explained that in another city where they used to live (Santiago), their house was higher up and it was very cold there. I told her briefly about snow and that it's beautiful but she didn't believe me lol. I then asked her what she likes to do besides volleyball and she said talking a lot! But also tennis. She asked me too and I joked that I liked talking too but in English! Haha then said I liked Spanish too, I just wish I understood more. She said she knew some French and I told her that my sister took some French classes in school. She then helped me remember the names of the three boys that come over all the time. I told her I need to repeat things a lot so I said their names a lot :) Ugh, that felt so good to try and converse and she was so helpful in explaining differently or repeating things. So patient :D I went back out to watch them play Dominoes and Paola put the little one to sleep and then asked if I wanted to play cards! She got a seat cushion and we sat close and put it on our laps for a table (just like the adults sit in a square with a wooden table top on their laps to play Dominoes!). I couldn't understand her explaining the game but once we started playing, I learned quick!! We then played two more games and I learned! It was so awesome! Paola kept mixing up who's turn it was and I didn't know how to say something so I let it be (reminded me of Mom during Uno!). Demar (sp? the middle boy) played a few more rounds with us and Paola said she was tired so we stopped. She put the cards away and I let the adults know I was going to bed and good night. They said goodnight back and now I shall shower and sleep away the day. And what a good day that ended up being :) It makes me sad and I'm ashamed to say it, but I find myself thinking, "Okay, when are they going to start speaking English?" It's such a foreign (ha) thing to be surrounded by a language you barely know when you've lived your entire life only hearing a one; a different one. But language barriers aren't everything. The best part about that is the ability to break them without words themselves. Using nonverbal cues, pointing, facial expressions (lots!), simply being out in the day or night together, laughing (lots!), and finding common interests is all you need to start to form a relationship. What an incredible realization. I feel more comfortable with them despite my Spanish still lacking (though I still feel I've improved already!) and I couldn't be happier :) Buenas noches.
Oh! Side note, my favorite is when I forget to turn on my fan before crawling under my mosquitera and I have to reeeeaaaach with one hand while my face is smushed against the inside of the net to turn it on haha. What a sight, I'm sure.