my working vacation
They say the best way to learn a language is full immersion.
Last week I found myself swan-diving straight into a world where I don't yet speak the language. Not in the literal sense, but in the way of acronyms, industry jargon, and processes I have yet to encounter. A new job, new organizations, and in a role I have never done — it is exhilarating and terrifying in the way that arriving in a foreign country without knowing the language is.
By day two, it occurred to me that I only had a slight idea of what to expect. I knew the weather would be good, I had watched a couple youtube videos, obviously, and I knew I would learn something worthwhile. There is no guidebook that could prepare me for this (not even a masters degree). There would be no Google Translate, no neatly labeled phrasebook to decode the conversations around me, and certainly no travel companion.
It’s day two, and I am standing in the Barcelona airport, trying to summon a taxi with no Spanish. It’s day two, and the Scottish train conductor is asking me to move; I don’t understand why. It’s day two, and I am in a Montpellier Monoprix, fumbling through par carte, s'il vous plaît, just softly enough so that there are no follow up questions.
It's day two and everyone says this is exactly how I should be feeling.
xoxo anna