Sometimes a person gets used to a place. I got used to a certain Tabacs shop. When I first arrived in Spain the key was to slowly get me to buy things on my own. My boyfriend, picked a specific Tabacs store as the first one. I believe he picked it for a reason. I could be wrong, but now that I have been in the area long enough, I think he had a good reason.
This particular store, was small, friendly and busy. The people who worked there somehow managed to not make me feel like an imbecile for murdering their language. In only three or six words. I've got talent, what can I say! They even fairly quickly started treating me as a regular. They gave me a mix of knowing, surprised, and pleased smiles when I said something new. However, as I mentioned they were always busy.
I kept thinking, I should try to start a conversation. These are the perfect people to do it with. Unfortunately, as someone who has worked in customer service for a lot of years, that would be cruel and unusual punishment for them. Even if they have the patience of saints. The store is just too heavily travelled.
There is a Tabacs shop that is very close to our house. Once or twice we went to this place, probably out of forgetfulness more than anything. Recently, I have gone there only if I have had seizure issues and didn't want to stray across too many roads. That is when I realized, I needed to change shops.
It wasn't straight away really. They are nice at this store also. They aren't as busy, due to the placement of the store. The older man is a bit more quiet than the lady that works there. The lady that works there is quite chatty. Each time I went in there she would say something to me. Either, she never remembered that I wasn't good at Spanish, or she overestimated my learning curve. I'll go with the latter! The fact that I didn't come in that much probably had something to do with that.
Last week however, I was on my way into Barcelona and I stopped for some ciggies. I commented on the day (yes in Spanish). She responded quite quickly in Spanish to me. Low and behold... I understood! And she was charming and funny. Of course I was so shocked I almost couldn't think of anything to say! I managed to utter something understandable but grammatically incorrect out. Then I went smiling and nodding on my merry way! That event made my day!
While that didn't convince me in full, it did give me a nudge. Today, I really decided. I went there, and she started talking to me, really fast. Oddly I understood. It did take me a couple seconds after she paused for my mind to catch up. But I got it! Then I heard, "Entiendes?" Heh. Of course I said yes, but sometimes I'm a little slow to understand. Imagine what my grammar must have been like if I can't even get it grammatically correct in English!? Moving on, no reason to point out all my faults. Heh, heh. Then she repeated the entire story, with more detail. She told me the parts that went on before I got there, etc. and she said it a little slower. It was awesome! She also had the time to do it.
I think this is a place to go for learning Spanish. I don't want to sit there all day. Though they do have an incredibly inviting, yet uncomfortable looking chair for customers to sit in. However, if I'm going to buy ciggies anyway, why not learn too? And more importantly, I like her, she's nice.
I told my boyfriend of my new plan. He thought it was a great idea. Then he told me something I didn't know. He said she knows him and his whole family. She's known him since he was a kid. So, I should tell her who I am. That is more subject matter on a day when there is no conversation happening!
Come to think of it, that is probably another reason we didn't go there all that often. I wouldn't have learned anything if it were him, her and I. They would have spoken in Catalan, and I would have heard random words, there would have been hugs multiple times and a ton of smiles would circulate all around. He would receive congrats and maybe a little razzing, I would get called pretty, and my discomfort would increase with every passing second. Until I just wouldn't concentrate anymore.
This way, I can have the same conversation, equally as genuine, but I will understand it. I will be a participant. That makes all the difference in the world. It's much better when people can talk to you instead of about you, right in front of you. It's not anyone's fault either. They are doing their best to try to include you. Unfortunately I didn't know enough of the language to help them help me. Now I know a little more, which left to my own devices, might make it easier to learn more.
However, this will not be the thing that helps me quit smoking. Apparently.
kimbersfrog
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