Today's good deed

I've been casually learning Spanish now for about a year. By casually I mean I've been doing a Spanish lesson daily for nearly three months (The smartphone app named Duolingo) During my whole journey of learning, I've always told people I can't speak Spanish. Anyone who's tried learning a foreign language for the first time can testify that a large part of it is confidence. Confidence in speaking the language being learnt.

I've tried throwing myself into Spanish speaking situations, which mainly involved asking for things in shops; asking for directions; trying to listen to Spanish conversations; but when you live in a mostly English speaking area, it is easy to fall back on English and not bother with Spanish. I have met so many people who have lived in Spain for decades without speaking a word of Spanish.

I never wanted to be one of those people. I wanted to be able to communicate with the locals. I wanted to show that I was in fact making an effort.

So today, in Gibraltar, I walked past an elder Spanish lady who was struggling with two big, wheeled carriers, and two shopping bags. I walked past normally as most people did, then I turned back and asked her if she wanted some help, in Spanish. She was thrilled and took me up on the offer.

This was at Eroski, which is a few minutes from the border. I got to practice my Spanish, and as I'd had a bit to drink, I was quite confident. I managed to have a few conversations and I worked out where the lady was going. I deduced that she was 66 years old (because she told me in Spanish) and I even told her my age. I ended up walking her to the bus station in La Linea, for which she was very grateful. I spent about half an hour with this Spanish stranger, and not a minute of it felt awkward.

Anyway, I wanted to share this in case I ever forget. There have been times in my life where I have struggled to carry a weight. (quite literally), and to a certain degree I believe that one 'reaps what they sow' in life, and if I was in this lady's situation, I would certainly appreciate help, regardless of whether they spoke perfect Spanish or not. That is why I wanted to help. I guess in a way I wanted to prove that language barriers aren't as much of an issue when it comes to human goodness.

I feel good about my deed. Maybe it will come back to me one day, maybe not. Either way, I am happy with the way I feel about it, and I'd gladly do it again.