Practicing my Spanish

Believe it or not, I actually have not practiced my Spanish all that much while I have been here in Mexico. While there have been times that I have needed to use my Spanish, and I make small conversation with people, I really haven't used my Spanish that much. I realized this yesterday, when the new neighbors, who live in San Luis Potosi invited me to the beach for the day. In most of my interactions thus far, if there are people who speak Spanish around, there are also people from other places around, and everyone uses English, which truly bridges the gap from country to country. Obviously, this is not always the case, but for the most part this is the case. I can be on the back of a colectivo, listening to Dutch speakers, Germans and French, and they do not understand each other. Then comes along English, and acts like a medium, almost like money, freeing us from trading and bartering. While we still have specialized skills, like our different languages, we are enabled to communicate with a vast majority of people, through English and create opportunities we otherwise would not be able. In other words, everyone and their momma speaks English.

Yesterday, setting out for the beach around noon, the Mexican couple and I grabbed some Coronas on the way, and then hopped on a colectivo. They recommended Playa Puerto Angelito, which I had not seen before. I realized I had been to all of the beaches in Puerto Escondido excluding Puerto Angelito, and its neighboring beach, Playa Manzanillo. Once we get off the colectivo, we had maybe a 15-minute walk from there to the beach, and we make conversation as we walk. This is where I am realizing that I really do not know Spanish even close to as well as I may have thought. Listening to Spanish speakers as they talk about something at a pace that is comfortable to them, I pick up words here and there that I recognize. But, then realize that it was actually a different word that sounded similar to the word I thought they said, and now I am trying to decipher the meaning, and their sentence continues, and when they finish I understood nothing. I spent a large part of my day asking them to repeat things, or to slow down, or explain them in other ways. It really is a slow, difficult process, and then when you also have to use your brain power to respond in Spanish, not knowing nearly enough vocabulary to fully express ideas, it can be quite exhausting. Despite it being tiring, it is also very rewarding. Because of this effort, I was able to spend the day with two individuals that I would otherwise be unable to communicate with, if I did not speak enough Spanish to get by.

This couple was so friendly, sharing their drinks with me, and even later sharing oysters which were absolutely incredible, caught right there from the ocean. They recommended that I put hot sauce on them, and a bunch of lime. Without a doubt, these were the biggest, and best oysters I have ever tried. We ended up going to Playa Manzanillo, because when we arrived at Puerto Angelito, the small beach was completely full, with primarily locals, and the water was filled with people as well. Thankfully, Manzanillo is about a two-minute walk from Puerto Angelito, and we were able to find a nice shaded spot where we spent a good chunk of the day, relaxing and making conversation, occasionally swimming in the water as well. There was also a small cafe on the beach playing some fairly chill techno music, which created a nice vibe in the background. This beach was lined with palm trees, or "palmas" and the water was very calm, making it very good for swimming. There were lots of fishing boats at this small beach, but thankfully they were all a few hundred feet from the shore, leaving plenty of space to enjoy the water.

After the beach, we were all starving and excited to fill our stomachs, so I recommended the burger place where I have become somewhat of a regular, called Primo. We were all very pleased with the food, and I insisted on paying, to thank them for inviting me to spend time with them on their vacation, and being so friendly and welcoming. We returned to our apartments, and sat up on the rooftop, finishing off a great day with a bag of mangos that was only 50 pesos, which is less than $3. At this time, we compared some of the things we are accustomed to, and I got some perspective about how different some places in the world really are, and how much I sometimes take for granted. They explained that it is fairly frequent to hear gunshots in the night, in the city they live in. They said this, with a bit of a laugh, recognizing there is not much they can do about this, and just acknowledge that this is something that happens. Many places, I am learning, do not have the security which I am used to, where I can walk around my hometown with my phone in my pocket, and money in my wallet, without fear of being mugged on the street, or having police try to take your money for some odd reason they manage to come up with. It is a bit disheartening to realize that this is indeed a luxury, and not something that everyone gets to enjoy, and I am increasingly thankful for my situation. Seeing differences like this really does give some perspective for the people you encounter throughout life, and how important it is to remember that each person has had a totally unique experience which you know nothing about.

Wrapping up the day, I ran into the other lady staying here who is from England as I was heading to bed, and she noticed I had gotten a little too much sun. She instantly offered her own lavender oil and lotion, to help with the healing. I accepted the offer gratefully, as I had not purchased any aloe yet, not necessarily planning on getting sunburnt. Good to consider the possibility though, since I am only a little over 1,100 miles from the equator. The lotion was very helpful, and I am hardly burnt today thankfully. Once again, I am so thankful to all of the people who I have met and interacted with throughout this trip so far, who have been so good to me in so many ways. Thank you all, and thank you as well for those reading. :)