Day 281 of 1827: Little Things Make All the Difference

This afternoon, I caught myself cutting up an expired credit card before throwing it out so that nobody could find it and use it to make purchases.

It’s funny how many little habits I’ve accumulated over the years that make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

When you move to a country where you don’t understand the language, even little tasks become monumental challenges. Small things — like taking the bus, mailing a letter or even navigating the checkout process at a grocery store.

You end up having to focus really hard and pay close attention to how other people are reacting to figure out whether you’re doing it right. In many ways, it’s like being a baby all over again.

But, when you do finally get it right, you feel an incredible sense of accomplishment.

I tell ya; there is nothing so elating as walking up to the counter in the subway and successfully purchasing a transit card without having to point.

At the end, you’re not just holding a fare card — you’re holding a trophy: a testament to your knowledge and ability.

I have a number of trophies that I carry around with me:

Prepaid Chilean SIM card in my phone
BIP (transit) card
Adapter plug for my laptop charger given to me in Talca
Pack of bandages recommended to me after I asked a drug store employee for help
Small jar of merkén given to me as a gift by a Chilean friend

Each of these items – though small and common – represents a successful interaction in Spanish.

Interestingly, not only are these items listed in order of difficulty to acquire, but they are also listed in chronological order.

Over time, as my Spanish fluency develops, I have to keep seeking out increasingly greater challenges to maintain the same feeling of accomplishment from each encounter.

Thank goodness for that, though; who wants to be satisfied with mediocrity?