Learning Spanish: attitude

As I mentioned before, since arriving in Chile I "usually know what someone is saying when they speak to me and the general subject area when they are talking amongst themselves. And I can usually make myself understood by saying simple things, badly, with words missing".

Here, I'm the quiet one. Maybe I am in Australia too. I'm the one who sits and listens to other people talk and doesn't laugh at the jokes. I'm a much simpler person here and there's actually something quite pleasant about that. When I speak, it's to pass a simple comment or to ask or answer a simple question. I sit and listen, take in the view, smile at the kids, and help clear the table. Being around Spanish-speakers is a bit like being around someone with a disability - it doesn't really matter that this time it's me. I show that person respect and courtesy in other ways.

I might be simple here, but I'm not without personality. I may not laugh at all the jokes, but I appreciate slapstick and have even made a joke or two, in my halting sort of way. And what I do say, I say in that warm, enthusiastic, Chilean way.