Halfway, Folks, Halfway!

Thoughts/Reflections/Notes/Ideas that I have had so Far

Hey all, guess what!! Thursday (Holy Thursday, yesterday, March 28) was the official halfway point of my stay here in Spain. Can you believe it? I sure cannot. This means that from here on out, we are in the home stretch. The time is going to go even faster than it already has, and I will be home before you know it. I am excited to see all of you when I do return, and I hope that you all are excited to see me as well! :)

In honor of the official halfway point of this experience, I thought that it would be interesting to write a little bit about what I have learned so far, what I have yet to learn and do, what I am going to miss the most about Spain, and what I am looking forward to the most. So, here goes nothing.

1. “Hasta luego” - So I am sure that most of you are aware of this expression, as it is a pretty common one, but just to be clear, it translates to “See you later,” almost literally. I never realized just how common it was in Spain though. There are two very interesting contexts in which one uses this expression that I find to be interesting. First of all, you can use it in a normal context, such as after hanging out with friends or family. You are saying your goodbyes and you just slip an “hasta luego” in there. “Adiós,” perhaps the most well-known Spanish expression, has rarely been used here. I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with some Europeans and we talked about why this is. I said that because “Adiós,” as many commonly believe, comes from the two words “a” and “Dios,” meaning “to” and “God,” respectively. Therefore, the use of “adiós” has a connotation of finality to it, as if they were going to God in the very near future. This may be totally off base and wild speculation, but it seems to me that this most definitely could be the case. The second interesting use I have found is when two people who know each other pass one another in the street they say “hasta luego,” and continue on their way. In the U.S. We typically greet the person, ask how they are doing, give or receive an automatic response of “good” or “fine,” and then move on our way. It would be extremely weird for this encounter to include telling the truth about how you are really feeling because it is mutually understood that there is not enough time to talk about how you are really feeling, nor would it be entirely appropriate. Instead of doing this fake interaction, the Spanish say to the other person that they will see them later. I am not sure if this is correct, but it is merely my interpretation of what is going on. I think that by saying “see you later,” the Spaniard recognizes that there is not enough time right now to say hello and chit-chat (because if there were, they would definitely stop and chat, believe me, it happens all the time), but I think that the Spaniard accepts the fact that now is not the time and that later would be better. This is why they say see you soon and move on with their life. To an American such as myself, I found it to be really brisk and rude for someone to see another and just say, “see you later.” Upon further reflection, however, it seems like a wonderful thing to say, because it somewhat implies that you would truly like to talk to that person in the future, not just exchange some meaningless and insignificant greetings and responses. Like I said, this is just my interpretation and is not authoritative or based on research at all, so it could all be very wrong.
2. Imprecise / Inexact language – I have found it very interesting when trying to translate something from English to Spanish. There are many reasons for this, but there are a few observations and thoughts about translation that are incredibly intriguing. First of all, when I meet with Sara and I try to explain an English word to her using Spanish vocabulary, I constantly find myself thinking that maybe this is not what it means at all. I cannot think of a concrete example right now, but it is something like trying to explain an English term using what I think is the correct Spanish vocabulary, but then I realize that she might have a very different understanding of what that Spanish word means. I understand the Spanish word “aburrido” to be equivalent to the English “boring,” but does it really translate that nicely? I have a lot of doubts about this, even though this is a bad example (so I hope what I am trying to say is clear). Secondly, I find it interesting to think of all the ways in which one word in a language is used, based on context. Perhaps one of my favorite examples is the Spanish word “gemelos.” Its meaning varies wildly based on context, as it can mean “twins” (when applied to people), it can mean the calf muscle of the human body, it can mean binoculars, and it can also mean cuff links. The same can be said of the English word “drive,” meaning the action one performs with a vehicle, a series of plays in football, or something similar to self-motivation. I think that this leads me into the title of this section of imprecise/inexact language. In any language, there exists a lot of junk words that do not express what you really want to say at all, but are said anyhow. I think that this might be more common for the spoken word than the written, but I think they exist in both. Perhaps the word that people far too frequently overuse is “thing.” We use it for literally everything. That thing, this thing, “the thing of the matter,” “that's the thing...” and the list goes on and on. Spanish has a lot of filler words, like “pues” (well), “vamos” (c'mon), etc. So we really use a very easy word when we might want to consider using a more complex one. Related to this is the interesting phenomenon of what we choose to be distinct and call differently and what we choose to not. For example, in Spanish the word “paloma” means both dove and pigeon. In English, I think that the fact that we have two words for it means that there exists a significant difference between the two animals. Perhaps this is just another of those examples that I stated previously (about gemelos), but I think that it is a big difference. In English, we use the word “wall” in a couple of senses: the walls of a house or the walls surrounding a city, but the point is that there exists only one word for them. In Spanish, however, “muralla” is the word for walls surrounding a city while “pared” refers to the walls that are in your house. Why does Spanish make a distinction between the two different kinds and we do not? I think it is at least interesting. Finally, before I leave this topic, I want to briefly comment further on the imprecision of English. When trying to explain verbs to Sara in English, I have said that we use “get” or “take” very liberally, including it with a variety of other words. Think about it: get hungry, get a call, get going, get a present, get a new job, get sad; take a nap, take a walk, take a look, take a hit, take a break. There are different Spanish verbs for virtually all of those activities, which I think is one of the reasons why English might be difficult for a Spanish speaker. This is not to say that Spanish does not do the same, because they do, but it does mean that we use a lot of imprecise language as human beings in general. Think about the verb “be,” or “am:” I am hungry, I am tall, I am American, I am sad, etc.
3. Bad Spanish – Along with this imprecision of language, I think that an idea that is loosely connected is that of poor Spanish. Just as is the case in the United States, there exists “bad” Spanish as well. In America, depending on where you are from, you say that people speak badly or strangely, which is pretty much the same as poorly, I would wager. For example, since I am from the Midwest, I think that those who are from the South speak with a weird accent and vocabulary, saying things like “a'int,” “y'all,” and a general slurring together of syllables and terminating words earlier (thinkin', hankerin', etc.). Being in Salamanca, I have heard people talk about how badly Andalucians speak or how Latin Americans are speaking bad Spanish, those from Extremadura are not much better than Andalucians, etc. I think that this is funny that this exists here as well, but it has also shaped what I think is right and what I think is wrong when it comes to Spanish. Before I arrived in Spain and adopted the accent, I pronounced 'z' and 'c' the same, both producing an 's' sound. I have since adopted the Spanish “lisp” and pronounce the 'z' (and sometimes the c, depending on the vowel that follows) as a 'th' sound, with an occasional slip of a 'th' substitution for an 's' (which is something typical of southern Spain). But now when I hear people speak with a Latin American accent (where there is no difference between 'z' and 'c') I find myself thinking that they talk funny, weird. I was originally in the camp of the Spanish “lisp” and thought it sounded dorky and silly, but now I think that it is actually really pretty and I like it a lot.
4. Naps – I think that this might be one of those things that I am going to miss a lot. When I was in the States, I would never take a nap, ridiculing the people that would take naps. I generally thought that they were a waste of time, because instead of taking that nap for three hours (which is far too long), you could be doing so much other stuff and then just go to bed earlier. However, while in Spain, I think I have taken a nap (or at least laid down and “rested my eyes,” as we say) nearly every day. It is something that I am going to miss in the U.S., but my opinion on naps has changed, thinking that they are good little refreshers and also good for your digestion after eating a large lunch (especially from Rufi, lemme tell ya).
5. ESL / Foreigners – After being in a country where the native language is not the same as my own, I think I better understand what immigrants in America feel like and what ESL students go through (especially in college, since that is the experience most accessible to me right now). Being in a Spanish city where few people speak English, I have felt like a minority, like I needed to express myself as clearly and precisely as possible because if I did not, something might go very wrong. I guess I should not be so worried, but I must say that it is worrisome and sort of makes me anxious when I feel I am not expressing myself clearly, especially when I can do it so well in my native tongue. There exists that gap between what you are able to express in your native language and what you want to say in an acquired one. I had this same experience when I was in Portugal, as I was not able to use either English or Spanish to clearly articulate my ideas. With Spanish I was able to at least communicate what I wanted/needed, but after the Portugal trip I realized that if I am ever going to travel to a country where the language is not one I know very useful phrases in (such as “Do you speak ______?”), I am not going to travel there without first learning these phrases. It would be better if I could learn every language, but that would require a lot of time and dedication and I really doubt I would be able to do that within my lifetime.
6. I have become much more relaxed, worried. - If you knew me before I left for Spain even in the slightest, this would probably surprise you. In the States, I was very much OCD, worried about every single detail, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah, but now I am much more relaxed. I do not have a phone to worry about, I do not have a lot of classes and homework to do, there is no job that I must attend frequently, etc. In short, there is not a lot of stressers for me here. I really like it, but at the same time it worries me. I like that I have learned to just relax and not worry about stuff, knowing that they will all work out in the end, but I am worried that this attitude will carry over to the upcoming school year and I will be, as we say here in Spain, jodido (no translation provided...use your imagination). I think that I will be able to readapt to the American way of living life with relative ease, but you never know. There is always that little room for plans going astray. That aside, do not worry, folks, because I still have some level of preoccupation and such, it is just nowhere near the level that it was in America. I think that this might also be a factor of age, as I have realized that stuff usually works itself out eventually, without much problem and that worrying about that sort of stuff is ultimately silly because you cannot control the future, no matter how much you try.
7. I have become both more subjective/moderate and austere/decisive/firm/passionate. - It is a paradox. How can one become more moderate yet more firm in ones opinions? It does not seem possible, but thinking about it just now, maybe it is not as strange as I think it is. Allow me to explain myself a bit. So I have become much more moderate, which I think is just because of age and realizing that the world is not at all black and white. There exist so many shades of grey that it is tough to make universal, binding judgments. I also would like to say that my moderation stems from the relaxed atmosphere in which I find myself and also the company with which I find myself (Rufi). She always says that she likes this thing, but that someone else might not because it all depends on your likes. Normally I find these positions to be annoying, because they individual espousing such a doctrine usually has nothing interesting to add to life, you cannot debate with them, etc. But at the same time I am realizing that this is perhaps the best way to go, because there is room for interest. But I find myself saying that there is not absolute evil or absolute good, but that things just are the way they are, without necessitating the choosing of a side. And it is in this affirmation, that of subjectivity, that I find myself become more resolute, austere, convinced, passionate. I am firmly convinced that making absolute and binding generalizations or statements do not work at all. They simply do not.
8. Thinking – As I am sure you have noticed, I have had a lot of time to reflect and think about a variety of things: life, myself, my personality, my relationships, etc. I think that this is one of the most rewarding things that has happened so far in my human development. What is more is the fact that I have had the time to write about it. I have not had this much free time and this much desire to write and chronicle my life, thinking, etc. This actually has its origins in my ancient philosophy class last semester in which we were required to write both group evaluations and individual evaluations. I liked it a lot, and I realized how important it is to have documentation such as this, and so I have really taken it on as an individual project to write more reflective stuff. Sometimes my thinking gets a little out of hand and silly, but I think that I got it mostly under control. I think that this self-reflection is a sign of growing up. I have had a lot of thoughts and have gotten myself into emotionally bad places, but I have always managed to be able to monitor my thoughts and do something to change my way of thinking.
9. Things I Would Like to Do
   1. Northern Spain excursion
   2. Play cards with Rufi and her compañeras (all around her same age)
   3. Soccer game
   4. Day trips to little towns around Salamanca.
10. Things about Salamanca/Spain I am going to miss (in no particular order)
    1. All the walking I can do.
    2. How cheap everything is.
    3. My Spanish friends I have made.
    4. Rufi and everything she has done for me.
    5. How much free time I have.
    6. The view from my room.
    7. Sitting by the river and looking at the cathedral, just thinking and staring.
    8. Tapas
11. Things that I am looking forward to in the States (in no particular order)
    1. My family and friends.
    2. My car
    3. Chinese food.
    4. Decorah and large green spaces.
    5. Privacy

I definitely thought that these lists were going to be much longer, but I cannot think of any more stuff to add. If I do, I will definitely let you all know. But yeah, this was my halfway point reflection entry, and if you have made it to this point, I applaud you and appreciate it. Hasta luego...