Just like in English, braces cause lisps, which can make it even harder to understand! Speaking to my family all the time has helped train my ear. I got super lucky because they’re really patient, and are happy to repeat something as many times as I need them to for me to understand. They also help me when I need to communicate with someone else and don’t know how, have taught me how to use public transportation, have told me where I can find what I’m looking for if I need to buy something specific, give me suggestions for places to visit, and so much more. They have been so enormously helpful and have truly made me feel like part of their family. The dad even calls me “hija” (daughter) and I’ve met their family!
One of the hardest things for me to adjust to is consumer culture and customer service in Spain. It’s very, very different than in the U.S. You know how in the U.S., if something goes wrong you can complain or speak to a manager? And it’s easy to get a refund or exchange something if it’s broken or if you change your mind? Or if something breaks and you need a repair-person to come fix it, it’s easy to schedule someone and know that they will likely show up on time. And you know how when you go to a restaurant, you need to wait to be seated? And servers come up to you all the time to ask for your order and bring the check? In Spain, the culture in shops and restaurants is different. If you want to eat out, you just grab an open table. You need to get the server’s attention to order and ask for the check--they never bring it automatically. In shops, if you want to return something they will almost always give you store credit instead of refunds. These make being social and going shopping very different experiences!
