Let’s Talk

Growing up, my mother would have described me as a curious kid. Because I was a military brat, my family moved around a lot. So when I met other kids from different parts of the country, I was always interested in talking to these kids and learning where they came from. 

So in high school, it wasn’t a big surprise when I got involved in our American Field Service (AFS) club. The AFS organization provides youth educational exchange services to students from all over the world. At Mt. Carmel High School, I met exchange students from Mexico, Wales, Switzerland, and Belgium. The stories that I heard about their homelands made my eyes grow even wider with curiosity about the world. I imagined what it would be like to live in these beautiful and faraway places. I even thought about being an exchange student too, but unfortunately my household lacked the funding, which made it only wishful thinking.

It wasn’t until I was a young adult living in Los Angeles that I took my first trip to Europe. I was hoping to travel there with a group of friends, but at the last minute, everyone dropped out except me. I was afraid to travel alone, but the desire to see more of the world made the fears subside. I studied German in high school but never put it to use outside of the classroom. Now, I would finally have that chance. I traveled to Switzerland (Geneva and Zurich), and to Germany (Cologne and Munich), France (Paris), Belgium (Leuven), before making my way to Holland (Amsterdam). My knowledge of geography was embarrassingly poor and I even made the mistake of calling Dutch people Danish. 

My curiosity for the world and its people hasn’t changed. 

The hubster (Eric) and I have recently returned home to Portland, Oregon, from spending a few weeks in Europe (Holland, Spain, and France). It was great to have the opportunity to travel to these wonderful and diverse countries. Before moving to Portland, I was actually living in Amsterdam. So anytime we’re there, it always feels like I’m home. And yes, I do speak Dutch; though it’s a bit rusty due to infrequent use. 

Once we landed at Schiphol Airport in Holland, after seeing signs and hearing Dutch spoken all around me. Any apprehension about speaking Dutch quickly faded. When I handed off our U.S. passports to the customs agent, I responded to his questions in Dutch. The agent looked confused and asked if I was a Dutch citizen living in the states. I took that as a compliment and explained to him that I used to live in Amsterdam 25 years ago. He was impressed that I could still speak Dutch as well as I do for an “American”. I knew what he meant and the agent and I laughed, as he stamped our passports. 

I get it, and don’t consider myself a typical American; one who is uncomfortable traveling to places where English isn’t the dominant language. It does feel awkward not being able to talk with others when you travel. I don’t assume that everyone speaks in English. That’s why Eric and I always make an “attempt” (key word) to learn a few words and basic phrases when we travel abroad. In Amsterdam, Eric usually relies on my lingual skills in the Netherlands (Holland). I don’t mind, it gives me the opportunity to get my multilingual tongue back in working order. Though in Amsterdam, and other major tourist destinations, most people speak English, and several other languages too.

Eric and I wanted to start our European getaway in my old stomping grounds, Amsterdam, so we could see friends and get adjusted to the nine hour time difference (Pacific Standard Time), before heading off to Spain, where we spent the bulk of our time. 

So, off we went!

It was great being back in Malaga, Spain again. This time we could take our time exploring the city and visit attractions (add car museum and caves) we missed on our first trip here. Eric and I were here two years ago during the start of the Christmas celebrations.  At that time, and throughout our travels in Spain, the cities and towns were decorated with twinkling colored lights in preparation of the holidays. Malaga attracts huge crowds from all over the world for the lighting of their official holiday program.

This time it was fall, and there were no holiday lights, but there were still plenty of tourists wandering the streets there. We prefer to travel during the off-season (usually in the fall) when kids are back in the classrooms and there are generally fewer people traveling. Traveling in the summer can be hot, crowded, and expensive. We found this out one year when we traveled in August with friends. With fewer tourists, we get more opportunities to meet and spend time with the locals. Eric and I both have been working on learning Spanish. Though neither one of us are at the conversational level yet. We know enough of the basics to navigate restaurants and bars as long as it doesn’t get too complicated. 

On our last night in Malaga, Eric and I decided to grab a drink before heading back to the hotel. We stopped at this cute gay bar, called Kipfer and Lover. This place was small on the inside but luckily there were a few tables outside to sit. I went inside and ordered dos cervezas (2 beers) and joined Eric outside. We drew attention immediately, which isn’t hard to do when one person is 6 ‘6 ” and the other is a stocky and stylish Black guy (😏). The bar manager and owner, Jose came over and asked (in Spanish) where we were from. I responded back in Spanish, the Estado Unidos (United States). In my head, I was thrilled that I could understand him. Jose then introduced us to a few of his regulars. We continued conversing in Spanish until we had to default to more English. We were then joined by an Italian gentleman in Malaga for work. I spoke a little Italian with him but he preferred to speak English with us. I think he appreciated the practice. The place was popular and now more folks began to show up. I popped inside to use the restroom and on my way out, I met a Gay couple from Great Britain with a German female friend. She and I started conversing in German and when I got back to the table with Eric, I was beaming like a lighthouse with joy. I explained to him that it had been a very long time since I’ve been able to speak multiple languages in one evening when it started to rain. Rather than heading inside the bar, Eric and I decided to head back to the hotel. What a fun night!

The rest of the trip was not as socially engaging but we still had opportunities to talk to people along the way. With the help of people we talked to, we were rewarded with delicious meals, architectural highlights, and scenic locations. It wasn’t all perfect. We misunderstood a ticket agent at a train station and ended up on the wrong train we thought was bound to Tarragona. That day, we ended up taking a taxi from a neighboring town (€€) to our hotel but learned for our future departures to allow extra time when you’re sleep deprived to avoid rushing, creating a couple of cranky travelers. 

For 17 days, Eric and I traveled by plane, trains, and a few automobiles. We moved around to eight hotels, visited seven cities, and walked, walked, and walked, sometimes as many as nine miles a day. This was a busy vacation, way too busy. I told Eric that we’re not going to be in a constant state of motion again for our next vacation. It may sound like I’m complaining, but I’m honestly not. Eric and I got a chance to meet some really fun people and discovered their local favorites. It’s amazing what you can learn about the world when you take a chance and talk to each other.