Language Barrier

The stress of living in a foreign place continues.  Today I sort of hit a wall and didn't really feel like talking to anyone for most of the day.  Fortunately, I didn't have any responsibilities or places to go, so I was able to spend a good amount of time by myself.


One of the hardest things is knowing that every time I need to communicate with someone, it will be difficult and there will be many opportunities for awkwardness and misunderstanding.  A friend here recently told me that the most important thing is to not be afraid to ask for clarification when I don't understand something.  Sometimes I understand very little at all, but I think that she is right - I would probably be better off admitting that I don't understand more often, especially when dealing with more important matters like making plans to do things.  I think I'm afraid that people will see me as weak or unintelligent if I do.  But the truth is, when it comes to speaking and understanding Spanish, I am weak!  I'm not completely incompetent, but I have a ways to go.  However, the people I'm interacting with are my brothers and sisters in Christ, so maybe I should trust them not to reject me and just seek to understand more often rather than passively go with the flow.  I actually have allowed myself to do it a little bit, and nothing catastrophic has happened yet!


Christians need to love other people regardless of their weaknesses.  Even if some people did think less of me, over time they would get to know me better, which would help them to value me for who I am and not how I speak.  Maybe this experience is making me a more loving and compassionate person, not only towards foreign language speakers but also towards anyone who confused or overwhelmed or is in the process of transitioning to a new place of residence and a new social support group.


Fortunately, in the midst of all the stress (which I'm not overly concerned about - I think it's all par for the course and I know I'm doing the right thing), I have met some very kind people who have shown me a great welcome.  I will post pictures of some of them soon.