How I Learned a Foreign Language
by Frank Weaver
While packing to leave for Buenos
Aires, Argentina I was thinking of all the places I would visit and not
be able to talk with the local people, order meals or ask for directions,
because I did not know a single word of Spanish. With a quick trip to my
neighborhood bookstore, I found the last Spanish phrasebook on the shelf
and quickly purchased the book for reading on the plane.
After, arriving in Buenos
Aires and finding a taxi at the airport, I proceeded to give the taxi driver
a piece of paper with the address of my hotel. I started feeling awkward
when the driver began conversing in Spanish and I could not reply. After
a while he understood I did not speak the language, as I was frantically
thumbing through the phrasebook looking for right words to reply with. |
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At the hotel I was able
to pay the taxi driver the exact amount on the meter and to quickly add
in a small tip. Upon exiting the taxi I managed to find gracias in the
phrase book to thank the driver, I even detected a bit of a smile as he
drove away.
Settling into my room, I
started thinking this would be a great time to go exploring. I proceeded
to wander the streets looking for the ideal restaurant to try my new language.
Upon entering the restaurant I was shown to a table in the corner and presented
with a menu in Spanish, hesitantly I open the menu looking at the entrees
to see if there was anything that looked familiar. I was on the verge of
panic realizing the phrasebook was still in my hotel room.
When the meal arrived I was
very surprised I did so well, however what I received was not what I had
expected. Throughout the meal I scan the menu the waiter had left on the
table. Beginning with the entree I ordered, I started making notes of the
items on my plate and words in the menu, so next time I could order something
different. Over the next few weeks dinner was becoming more adventurous,
I was asking for the menu, saying thank you, and requesting the check in
Spanish, along with wishing the waiter a good night upon leaving the restaurant.
Breakfast turned out to be
daring; along with a coffee and pastry I started asking for a local newspaper.
Though my Spanish was not good enough to read the newspaper, but with the
pictures and captions below I was able to piece together what was taking
place in the article. If I had a few spare minutes I would skim the local
news, business, and cartoons looking for new words to use. By the end of
my trip I was comfortable ordering meals, asking directions, along with
using a few pleasantries. I thought I was well on the way to using Spanish
and planned to continue using my new language when I returned home.
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For more information on Argentina
see All World Vacation Station at http://www.allworld-vacation.com/argentina.htm
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