Took Chena out to go to the bathroom and on my way back this older women wanted to share the elevator. She startes talking to Chena and asks me her name and keeps talking to herself after turning her back.. speaking quickly of course… I say that her name is Chena and none of her other mumblings sounded like questions. So of course with me speaking one word she should assume I don’t speak spanish and ask “what language you speak”.. I just give up and say “English”. She says “Is that the only language you speak? ” and since theres no point arguing that I do know enough spanish to talk to her but she has not even given me a chance to speak.. I just say “…and 2 years spanish” .. she didn’t hear the spanish part and started bragging profusely.. “well we speak English here too and I speak Russian and French” then she leaves the elevator and slams the door a bit.. and asks me through the door “American?” and I say “yep…” and she kind of gets the look of realization as if that must be why I’m so stupid. *Keep in mind this is the Bush era and everyone HATES Americans, and I felt it often.
You’d think that if she spoke so many languages she would know what it’s like to learn one and when someone just splurts out shit quickly it either takes time to process, or for them to repeat it…. but no.. people who learn languages at a young age have no clue what its like to start a fucking language at 24.. your brain doesn’t absorb things like it does when your a kid. It’s also not my fucking fault that my country doesn’t encourage speaking other languages.. it’s not even available in school till your 13 or 14 and by then your mind is occupied with other more important things than school.. if you really want to know a language you are either a high school student who’s fairly dedicated to studying, or you take college classes with your own money. I took 2 years of French and 2 years of Spanish in highschool and don’t remember much, so I started over. So I’m here to get used to using what I’ve spent the last two fucking years of my time and $1000’s of dollars on learning (Spanish) and so far its been very discouraging to even open my mouth. So fuck it.. I’ll just pretend like I don’t know any Spanish and be another toursit I guess. At least when I’m treated like an idiot its because I’m acting like one and not accualy trying to communicate like I have been (to no avail). 🥱
