Through my time here in Chile, I have realized just how
important language can be. Even being a Spanish major, I am often confused by
the Chilean way of speaking and get nervous trying to express what I want to
say without messing up. However, I have
learned that relying on what skills I have is of the utmost importance.
One of
the outstanding examples to me happened a few weeks ago. Lauren had broken the
door handle off of the inside of our bathroom door one night, so we hadn't been
shutting the door all the way when we went to the bathroom. However, the next
morning after Lauren went to school, I got up to go take a shower, and in my
sleepy state, I shut the door right behind me. I immediately realized what I
had done and started panicking. Lauren wouldn't be back to the apartment until
6:00, so I didn't know how in the world I could get out. After 40 minutes of
trying in vain to get the door open with my tweezers, I heard the maids ring
the doorbell. I was ecstatic because I thought they could get me out. They came
in the room, and I yelled for help in Spanish, but I think it came out more
like “I can’t come out of the bathroom.” I think my statement confused them,
and they left the apartment. That is when the anxiety really set in, and I
thought I would be stuck in the bathroom for 8 more hours. However, after about
a minute of me banging on the door frantically, I heard them come back, and I
yelled, “¿Puede ayudarme, por favor?” (“Can you help me, please?”). After this,
one of the maids came to my rescue and opened the door. She saw how upset I was
and simply said, “Pobrecita” (“poor little thing”).
After I got over the trauma
of this experience, I was so thankful that I knew how to get across what I
wanted to say. If I hadn't known any Spanish, I probably would have gotten
stuck in the bathroom all day and gone crazy. From now on, I’ll always remember
communication is key.
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