Day 37: Heavy on the “ahhh”
I’ve been working on learning Spanish since about March (when we realized we’d be heading to España instead of France), first with the Pimsleur app, then with online tutors. When we got here and stated *using* the language I discovered just how little I’d actually learned. Valencia also has Valenciano living alongside Castellano (what we think of as Spanish) to make deciphering just a bit more challenging though I’m pretty sure we have “bumbling American” stamped across our foreheads so no one attempts to address us in Valenciano, they switch over to Castellano (or, in rare cases, right to English). Each region also has its own accents and inflections, and just this week I picked up on an important Valencian difference, and it was on Day 37 that I put it into practice.
“Hola, como estás?” has been a part of my vocabulary pretty much forever thanks to Sesame Street. All three words have a bright, crisp feel to them, and they’re short. Well, in Valencia, that’s not how it’s done. Here, one leans into the “a” of “hola” and it comes out like: “HO-laaaaah.”
So, Day 37. We’re almost settled in at the Awesome Flat (there will still be at least one visit to the Hobbit House this week). Part of shifting over to Malvarrosa is learning to navigate a different part of the public transit system, including finding a new route to our in-person language classes at Inte Estudios. As Russafa is where “all the things” are ,it’s also good to know how to get there and back. The number 92 was our bus of choice yesterday, and it took us through all new parts of the city (before we were traveling across and a bit down, now we’re traveling across and a lot up). The trip showed me just how much more exploring I need to do!
Our class is, for me, 60% practice/30% grammar/10% vocabulary. We just finished Unit 1 (of 9 for A1 level) which means I can talk about who I am, what I do, and maybe even understand if you do the same. We go twice a week (and still have our online tutor once a week) through December and I’m hoping for miracles by the end.
A day off for me and a work day for Bill meant we divided up after class, with him heading home and me going out for coffee with Craig, an internet friend newly arrived in Valencia. When we got to Bar Biosca (chosen for it’s open outdoor tables) and the waiter greeted us, I matched his “holaaaaah” and felt the world shift. I’d done it! A proper Valencian hello!
Leaning into my success I found my way to a new bus stop after coffee, and anchored myself in a standing spot, you know, like I live here or something. The bus filled around me with folks of all ages though with a heavy majority of parents and kids (I guess kids here go home for long lunch?). I got to see my first abuelita* action when two sweet old ladies boarded the bus…and then kicked some young and seemingly able-bodied people out of the priority seating meant for them. Don’t. Mess. With. The. Abuelitas!
I spent a few hours in the afternoon feeling sad and lonely. There was something about the day that seemed to underscore just how far away I am from almost all the people I love (thanks be that I have Bill with me). I suppose it’s awesome that it took this long for me to have a fit of the sullens. I wanted to curl up into a ball of sad, but packed up to visit the water instead.
One of the things I was excited about when we switched our plans from France to España was the possibility of painting outside year round, so it was fitting that my first painting excursion along the sea happened on the first day I felt a need for long pants (low 20s). I sat on the wall in front of El Bobo’s and did a quick (under an hour of painting) capture of the sky, sea, and sand in front of me. Art really does a body good and by the time Bill came to get me when he finished working the sun was setting and my sullens had blown away.
We strolled over to our local Farmacia to pick up an online order (and I got to ask where said order was, and give my phone number, and discern that the reason they hadn’t emailed yet was because only half of what I ordered had come in and that they’d call or email when the rest was there…all in español) and then went back to the Awesome Flat. Dinner, wine, new playlists, ikea shopping, and conversation about where we are and where we’re headed filled the evening.
It was, overall, a slow day. Slow, and easy, with an emphasis on the “ahhh,” as it should be.
*I have no idea if the ladies I’m referring to are, in fact, abuelitas. The term is thrown about here as a representation of “little old ladies” regardless of their life choices.
