Spain with an Asian Flair

We had errands to do today.  Yes, this is going to sound a little crass but the truth is I craved a manicure and pedicure.  All the walking we do creates caveman feet.  Ok, that too was a little graphic as well but factual.  Stan said to me, “Yo no necesito un mani/pedi.”   Talk about caveman feet . . . I responded, “De Verdad??  Oh si, necesitas!!”

We went together to the shopping mall just a few blocks away from our apartment.  We were the first guests of the day and received the royal treatment.  This couple, originally from Vietnam, has lived in Spain for twelve years.   They speak Vietnamese, Spanish, a bit of French, and even less English.  One can imagine our strange conversations but we managed to communicate.  Before long, Stan had the man laughing and telling stories.  When I told the young woman that we had spent time in her country and loved Vietnamese food, she opened up.   The couple said there were no excellent Vietnamese restaurants in Santander but the lady offered to make some spring rolls for me.  She showed me a photo of some of the dishes she cooks.  We talked about how many and how much and if her spring rolls were fried.  We had to use Google Translate a little here and there.  Finally, we agreed there was no need for her to cook but I thought her offer was a lovely gesture.  By the time we left with smooth feet and clean, beautiful, and civilized-looking nails, these two were our friends.   Maria, her American name she said, held my hand as we left.

Next, we made rounds to the supermarket.  The day was slipping away by the time we finished our shopping; it was already mid-afternoon and we needed to eat.  On our way back to the apartment, we passed a Chinese restaurant.  Stan said, “I haven’t had Chinese in such a long time.”  In we went.

The waiter was friendly and efficient; the food was good.  Toward the end of our meal, we were the last customers there.  A lady came out from the back.  She said, yes, she had prepared our food but her husband – still in the back—cooks too.  We complimented her.  Well, there we went . . .

We started by sharing information on where we all came from, our homes.  The waiter and the lady are siblings.  They both were born in China but moved with their parents to Bangkok, Madrid, and finally on to Santander when they were nine and ten years old.  These Chinese people grew up speaking Spanish.  The man said he can still read and write Chinese but cannot speak it since he uses it so rarely.  We each shared so much.  We told them about our life goals of speaking a second language and how we complete Spanish lessons daily.  Stan just completed his 400th-day streak on DuoLingo.  They both advised us to continue trying to not only study Spanish but to try to use it.  “You must speak it to learn it.” they said, and the lady added, “If you live here two years, you will learn to speak Spanish.”  What?  We were hoping a couple of months would do the trick!  We all agreed that English is becoming a universal language everywhere . . . mainly because it helps people succeed in business.  Spanish is useful too in many countries, but the man said, “I think in ten years the two most important languages will be English and Chinese.” He could be right.   

Stan asked the lady where she would live and if she could choose any location in Spain – She said. “Barcelona but Santander is my home.” The four of us were smiling, laughing, and waving as we left.  They suggested we come back and practice our language skills together.   We will coach them in English and they will coach us in Spanish.

I don’t know their names yet, but that’s not important.  We made connections . . . people connecting to people, learning about each other, enjoying each other, helping each other, each of us born at different times and at different places on this planet; yet we connected.