So, I can’t tell if it’s because it’s low season here in Costa Rica, and maybe they have different workers here during this time of year, but no one seems to speak much English where I am right now.
A little, but even though I’ve lived abroad for 2.5 years now, I’m really not as fluent in Spanish as I should be, and it’s always noticeable when I’m having a conversation with someone who has equal skills as me. I can certainly get my point across, and I’ve become adept at the art of mime, but it can sometimes be a little touch and go. So it’s kind of cool to stretch my “Spanish legs” a little here. Turns out I have learned more than I thought. I’d say I’m getting there.
Today I walked around the grounds of the hotel, seeing what’s here (everything), seeing what’s not here (freedom).
I went to the gift shop, where I spent 22USD on a bottle of water, some deodorant, and a travel size toothpaste. But that’s another story for another day.
The cashier asked me if I want mouth wash. (an upsell, en serio right now???) And then before I could even answer with a resounding “no”, he asked me how we say mouth wash in English. (In Spanish it’s enjuague bucal. No clue why. Just here to learn right now.)
He asks: “Como se dice en Ingles: enjuague bucal?”
“Oh, es ‘mouth wash’”
“Mouth. Wash???”
“Si, como ‘boca’ (mouth), y ‘lavadora’ (washing machine lol. Spanish is not my first language, what of it?!?!)
He says “Mouth. Wash. Weird name.”
“Si. Super raro.” (super weird)
It’s funny, the things we take for granted as just being the way it is. It’s mouth wash. It’s not weird at all. But si, I suppose that indeed it is a little weird to someone who doesn’t speak English fluently.
When I spend mucho tiempo studying Spanish and trying to find ways I can relate to it, and mostly I can’t, I too think that things are pretty ‘raro’ when in fact they are probably totally second nature to a native speaker.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m enjoying being a foreigner. I absolutely love the WTF of the enjuague bucal.
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