The Language Barrier

Before I embarked on my trip to Barcelona, for some random nonsensical reason the idea of a language barrier felt like the least of my worries.

In my mind I believed that I would arrive without knowing any Spanish and be ok because I would pick it up quickly. I was completely wrong and now I am paying for this mistake of not learning more Spanish before I arrived. I hear the locals speaking Spanish and it sounds beautiful, I just wish that I could respond in Spanish or Catalan. At times I am embarrassed to be the English speaker moving through the city without having the ability to take part in something that is so integral to the culture here. Luckily, all of the Spanish people that I have met have been extremely nice and welcoming; even though there is a language barrier they have all made an effort to make me feel at home.

The hospitality here is wonderful and the people are very warm; it is making being away from home a bit more manageable than I thought it would be. I hope that one day in the future Barcelona will feel like a “movable feast” for me just like Paris does.