My Dad thought this would be a good topic to blog about so here I go. I get asked the question a lot about how my Spanish is coming along. This is a very frustrating topic sometimes, because some days I feel like it’s not coming along at all. Which I wish wasn’t the case but I live and work in a community that is entirely Spanish speaking…so it should be coming along great…right?!?!....WRONG!
Recently I had the opportunity to think about it more. I went to my training and virtually all of the staff running the training is Peruvians. However, when they speak Spanish I understand them so well. It has a lot to do with them being highly educated and speaking in proper Spanish, and living in Lima. It is all the same Spanish I was taught. So why don’t I understand when people talk in my community. Well let me explain this in a way you will better understand.
Those of you from Maryland who are familiar with Smith Island will understand the best. You know when those people come off the island and talk many of us question ourselves “Where the hell are they from”, because even though they are from the same state, they sound crazy. After years and years of living on that island they have developed a very distinguishable dialect.
Well I live on Smith Island, but instead of it being an island it’s a valley, and instead of everyone having the same last name of Evans, its Cordova. And instead of speaking crazy English, they are speaking crazy Spanish. And unfortunately there aren’t any of those delicious cakes here either.
I’ve come to realize that everyone here speaks with their very own dialect and it’s very difficult to understand sometimes. They speak in a lot of jerga (slang) too. Sometimes when I am really listening I realize they are not even finishing their sentences, sometimes, not even their words. But they understand this within each other. However, I, as an outsider trying to learn the language am not getting it at all.
So not only am I just trying to learn the dialect of the community I am trying to understand the accents as well. For example, my host family is from the jungle; almost all of them were born and raised there. And they have lived between my town and the jungle for the last 12 years. So the people from the jungle have their own way of speaking. My family tells me they have picked up most of the accent from here and they don’t talk like jungle people anymore, but I don’t think that explains why I can’t understand what my host Dad is saying. I feel like everything he speaks, even when he is just making noises contains the rolling r. So pretty much whenever he opens his mouth I am lost! And when my parents come my host sisters want me to translate him and my real dad when they talk…I don’t think that will be a very productive conversation.
Now BJ’s Dad…whoa! I don ‘t know what the heck that guy is saying most of the time. And from having the opportunity to visit his family that live in the middle of nowhere I understand he developed his speech from simply being in the middle of nowhere and talking to people who spoke exactly the same as him.
So not only am I learning the language I am learning why and where they speak the way they do. I have accepted the fact that I am going to leave Peru in 20 months and be speaking crazy Spanish.
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