On this journey I have gotten to see some truly incredible sights. Some sights that have left me completely speechless. But day to day life here in Toledo isn't just a constant state of jaw dropping awesomeness. Just like everything else in life, you reach a certain level of routine where you wake up and ride the bus to class and come home for meals. The things that constantly break this routine so much more than my routine back in the US (besides the fact that of course I'm in freaking Europe) are the small victories I feel each day. Here are a few of the small things that make me break out my victory dance alone in my room each night:
1. Conjugating verbs correctly/ automatically
When you only speak your native language, conjugation is something you really take for granted. In a second language it is EXHAUSTING that every time you want to express ANY idea you have to think to yourself "ok I'm talking about myself, in the past tense, about something I did with someone, etc". So when the moment comes that you have used a phrase enough times to know how to say it correctly and automatically, it is an absolute blessing. No thinking, just saying.
2. When someone asks you for directions, and you can actually help them
Ok I can already hear all of my friends and family and basically anyone who has ever met me laughing at this one because I am notoriously horrible with directions. Just to clarify, I'm not good at telling people HOW to get places, but more the fact that I understand their question and know the location they want to get to. When they tell me they don't know where the Plaza de Ayuntamiento is, I can tell them it's across from the Catedral. If they ask me where they can pick up the bus I can tell them it's across from the Alcazar, just off the Plaza de Zocodover. My sense of direction is sadly still pretty awful, but hey at least I'm beyond a tourist level of familiarity.
3. Genuinely understanding/ laughing at a joke
For the first few weeks here I had system. If only a few people laughed at something then I would just smile along but if everyone laughed at something then I would laugh too because there was less chance they would ask me something about the joke. Humor is something that is VERY difficult to pick up on in a second language. There are so many nuances of tone and language and culture that you have to recognize to understand jokes. It's weird to think that when I speak English I can be funny but when I speak Spanish I can't really be funny. I can tell funny stories but I can't really do jokes. So on the RARE occasion that someone tells a joke and I really understand why it is funny, I break out into my celebration dance.
4. When you can accurately articulate your feelings
I now have a level of Spanish skill where I can pretty much answer any question I get asked. But there is a difference between just answering and accurately articulating an answer. It's the difference between having the skill to tell your family that you're not just "tired", but rather you're "exhausted". Or you don't just "have a lot of homework", rather you are "overwhelmed". But there are some days when I can say EXACTLY how I feel, right when I feel it. And even though that's something small, it's so satisfying.
5. The besos
Besos is the Spanish word for "kisses". The way Spanish people greet each other (even if they are meeting for the very first time) is with a kiss on each cheek. Well, I guess if you want to get technical it's more like you touch cheeks and make a kiss noise. But the point is that for an American, THAT'S WEIRD!! AND AWKWARD! In the US, we shake hands from a reasonable distance and maybe if we know each other better we will hug, but kiss? Kiss?? That is something we only do with significant others and maybe close family. So it's an adjustment to give kisses every time I meet someone new. And the truth is I've found that if I don't make it awkward then it's really not awkward. So I have a "yay I didn't make it awkward" dance that I do when I remember to just go straight in for the kisses and not be stand offish.
So even though living in Spain is a total dream, it's not the big views or the amazing architecture that make it great. It's the little things each day that make every day an adventure.
