Language Barrier 101

  Immediately this article might seem odd. I'm a university student studying Spanish for the seventh year of my life. To the untrained eye that equals sublime fluency and basically a Latin citizenship, but other language students will understand otherwise. This little guide to what I've experienced so far is aimed at all people, from those around the world in similar situations to those who ask us to 'say something in Spanish' in the middle of a nightclub. A learning curve for all.

  It all started as I strolled up to the immigration officer at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires. I was confident and I had that 'yeah I'm starting my Year Abroad come at me' swagger going on.* I threw in a few of the 'Si' and 'Gracias' so this guy knew I wasn't just a tourist, I was here for business. It clearly worked as I was quickly struck with a sharp:

"Hablas castellano?" 

This was what I wanted, time to shine...

"Si si mas o menos, lo estudio a universidad" *God I'm good I bet that impressed him*

  I was greeted with what can only be described as the equivalent of riding Stealth at Thorpe Park in Spanish listening. Holy s**t. Not only did this dude launch a hurricane of palabras my way but he was speaking with a thick Argentinean accent. For anyone that (like me at the time) didn't realise the extent of the difference between Spanish and Argentinean Castellano - it's really different. I very quickly crept back into my little British shell...

"Hablas ingles..."

  And that's the moment I realised this might be a little tricky. Now I'm nearly two months down the line and I would say it's been an overall success for my Spanish so far. I've spoken a lot, listened a lot, made friends and host family bonds with people using solely their mother tongue. A solid 8/10. But that existing 2/10 has fused it's fair share of issues, and I'm sure I'm not alone with this, in fact I'm certain.

'Por favor comprendeme.... Si'

  That feeling when you're being spoken to but literally nothing sticks. Practicality says stop them quick and ask for a slower, simpler version but oh no. We are too polite for this so we uncontrollably nod along in perceived agreement and acknowledgement. We ain't got a clue what's going on but we're nodding like the Churchill dog. This 9 times out of 10 builds up to a beautifully awkward moment when the poor soul talking at us suddenly asks us for our input. That sudden change of intonation from full flow into question is a trigger for us - peligro.

  What do we do? We 'umm' and 'uhh' and eventually say 'si' if it's being asked about a plan or a more calculated 'no sé exactamente' if the topic is more of an opinion piece. Just like that and you're out of jail easier than Michael Schofield and El Chapo. You may have surrendered some conversational respect but you have avoided telling the truth and admitting that you don't understand. It seems only us Brits are allergic to this action as many a time I've been bluntly responded to with 'No entiendo' whilst I've been here. Cultural difference ey.

"¿Como te llamas?"
"No sé exactamente..."

  Whilst this plan seems ideal there are some slight hinderances. Saying 'si' in response to an invitation is just asking for trouble, and between me and my fellow Colonias workers we've ended up in some unique situations. I've ended up on a few of those Cumbia road-trips 'till the early hours of the morning (See #StopCumbia2016) and my friend even ended up in a rural wire factory at 7:30am (s/o Celia Bouch). Long story short it can get you in a right quilombo but what would my experience be without it? This blog probably wouldn't be as interesting that's for sure.

  Other issues that I have experienced include sitting among a group of local friends and feeling like an absolute vegetable whilst they exchange banter and colloquialisms and you're understanding nada. Sometime you do understand but you think the topic is too weird so you convince yourself you don't understand, forgetting everyone has random conversations with their friends. With my Spanish bred in a textbook environment of family, holidays and political topics, it's shell-shocked when faced with questions about fruit picking, rubber and park benches (personal experience). I know the words but my common sense is shocked into a very tame:

"Err, no sé"

  I could write about this topic for hours such are the funny, little awkward moments that crop up day-by-day due to the language barrier, and a 'Language Barrier 102' may be in order in the future. The bottom line is that a Year Abroad is going to improve your language ten-fold, and I've definitely benefitted from this no doubt. However these quirky niggles are going to occur. You're gonna feel like Joey Essex on Countdown, but you've just got to laugh and remember it for later when you can write it in a below average blog.

  Hope you've enjoyed this, if not and I happen to ask you, you know what to do...

  Just say 'si'.

*This was before I found out that my bag hadn't arrived in Buenos Aires with me and was still in Toronto...

  Thanks for reading and I recommend you watch this video to understand my plea...