“No hablo español … ?” A statement I had to say a countless number of times after serving a look of confusion. Going to Costa Rica I knew a medium amount of Spanish. I took up to Spanish 3 in both high school and college. However, that clearly wasn’t enough because I never mastered the language. I know quite a few words in Spanish but putting it all together was a complete mess. Reading was easier than speaking which was harder than understanding. I knew this would be an interesting challenge I would face. Somewhere down inside, I figured the people of Costa Rica would speak at least English because it is a touristy place. And yes, there were a few people you would find every now and then that did, but Spanish is their first language of course. So everyday when we would go to the mall, out to eat, and travel to different locations, it would be a challenge because of the language barrier. Between classes and site visits we would go to the mall for lunch. My friend Alexis and I dreaded this moment because we knew we would have to order our food in Spanish. It was so difficult and pretty painful to watch. There were times when we thought we had it until we received the opposite of what we asked for. One time I let Alexis order me orange soda and got organic juice instead. In her defense, she was pretty close to getting it right. There was another time I asked for salsa caliente and received a cup of salsa that was tossed in the microwave for a few secs instead of hot sauce which is what I actually desired.

For most of the site visits a translator had to come with us. It was rather helpful considering majority of our Spanish was pretty bad. You could also tell when some Ticos would get frustrated by our incompetence when it came to speaking the language. It made me think about foreigners that come to America. The way they get treated in America is similar to how we got treated, thus making me empathize more with foreigners. There would also be moments when I would catch onto something and respond and they would think I spoke Spanish and start going really fast. The least I could do was try. So, My roommate and I decided to watch Spanish soap operas some nights before bed. I heard that was a good way to catch onto a language, but this is still a work in progress. Although this trip challenged me and my language barrier, it only made me appreciate the language and want to learn it more. I plan to continue to develop my Spanish skills and hopefully one day master the language. When it’s time for me to visit again, I will have it down pat!

About the blogger

Tiana H. is studying abroad on the  program in .