There is this quote that I remember an RA posted on her dry erase board that struck me so much, that I later used it on my own dry erase board when I became an RA. The quote is "Your greatness is not in what you have, it's in what you give." Now when I originally read and wrote this quote it was in the wake of finals and midterms. It served as a reminder that getting good grades is not a reflection on whether or not you're "smart enough" but rather on how hard you worked throughout the semester. This week the quote comes to mind not because of any exams (although I am getting a ton of midterm grades back this week so pray for me), but rather because I got my first chance to see how much all the work I have put in this semester has paid off.
My real family came to visit this week (YAY!!!) and it was amazing. It had been so long since the last time I got to make a weird inside joke with my brother, pose for a selfie with my mom, or make fun of my dad for not listening to me (even though he claimed that he was). It was nice to be able to be able to speak in English for a full 24 hours (as much as I love Spanish, everyone needs some time with their native language), laugh, and not be constantly asking asking "what does that mean?" I was able to just sit on the couch and scroll through my phone and watch TV without feeling like I had to be doing something or practicing something, it was a real much needed break.
But possibly the coolest thing about my family visiting, was how they served as a mirror to reflect just how much I have learned in these first two months. While living here, many times I think my classmates and I really do not realize how much we are learning. I mean we are surrounded by native speakers all the time so sometimes it's hard to feel like we have made any progress, but we really have! What really stood out to me this week were the little things. For example, how to flush the toilet! In Spain there's a button on the top instead of a handle on the side, which was something I had to show when we got to our first Air Bnb. Another thing was how the shades work here (they are attached from the outside rather than the inside so you have to make a different motion to use them). Also I was able to get my family from the Madrid airport to Toledo without a problem. All this in just the first day! In the following days I was able to give them tours all around Toledo without really getting lost (yes folks you read that right, Mara Diaz didn't really get lost). These were all things that I wouldn't even think twice about knowing on an average day here, but with my family here I was able to remember how I had to learn all of these things. I didn't know any of it when I first got here but I know so much now
Even if I am just looking at how I did with language when my family was here, I honestly impressed myself. My host family had a dinner and invited my family to come over so they could all meet. Amazingly I was able to understand everything that was going on, translate for my mom and brother, and then translate from my mom's English into Spanish for my host family to understand. My head was spinning with language for a solid hour after that but I felt so proud of myself (and gained major respect for interpreters). I was able to order food, talk to taxi drivers, ask for directions in the metro, and understand passers by all in Spanish. All things I wouldn't think twice about normally, but since I had family here I realized I knew a lot things they didn't know. It was this week that I have decided to equate knowing another language to having a superpower. I have the power to take a bunch of seemly random noises and sounds, and turn them into comprehensive ideas. Then I can take those comprehensive ideas and say them in different set of random noises and sounds that someone else can understand. HOW COOL IS THAT!! Languages are the best.
I got to witness all that extra work that I have been putting in of trying to participate in classes, talk to my host mom while she's cooking, talk to people at the bus stop, and tell stories at the dinner table (even if I fumble through them), truly pay off. I got to see the results this week reflected back at me. After talking to our first Air Bnb host my dad even looked at me said "you sound like them!" I was reminded that my language and culture skills are not something I was born with, but based on the work that I put in. This was just the recharge and inspiration I needed to continue in my second half of this semester. Thank you to my family for always supporting my dreams, for getting me through the tough days and celebrating with me on the good days, and for flying 3,700 miles from home to come see me in action. Couldn't do it without you.
A photo of the night my host family and real family met!