What Embarrasses Makes You Stronger…or So I Thought

Chipotle. The signature jalapeño pepper. Finally, I thought, home. Well, not literal home.

“¡Hola! ¿Me puedes dar una quesadilla con pollo?” I asked confidently in my full, thick Spanish to the girl behind the glass.

Her face was priceless and mine was impatient. It says Mexican Grill outside, what was I supposed to do? Apparently, asking for free guacamole next wasn’t the right move…

As an international student, I confront many of these language barriers that, ultimately, help me improve my proficiency, but at the same time, result in embarrassing myself along the way. Specially when people laugh if I mispronounce something, but it’s all right. I do the same when Americans try their 4th grade Spanish with me–accept it, you learned nothing.

Picture yourself ordering at Wendy’s while mispronouncing “pickles” or not being able to tell the difference between “jail” and “Yale” (there’s a huge one). I have been experiencing this for a long time now. It has been four years since I came to the States as an international student and I’m still 5’7”–which, by the way, is average height in my country. But seriously, with all the phonetics and grammatical rules, it is a struggle to fully conquer the language and blend in.

On a side note, it is funny how most kids who leave home at a young age, for whatever reason it may be, are considered courageous. In the other hand, I leave at age 15 to study in another country and I get called a spoiled brat (only and constantly by my parents,though).

English alone is hard enough, but being an international student makes you learn a second, even more complex, language: getting coffee. This perfectly describes my school’s café; where grande is not large, tall is small, and lines never seem to end. Is that girl giving nuclear codes or asking for an iced coffee? Nobody knows.

Besides, we all have been in that spot when you just can’t understand what the person is asking for and is repeating it for the fifth time, so you end up saying yes. A harmless, little yes. Before you know it your sandwich has mustard, blueberries, raw chicken, and sprinkles.

I guess the point I’m trying to make is not about how hard it is coming to another country but what of an adventure it actually is. From embarrassing myself while ordering food to failing at ordering food, I’m learning new things every day. Believe me or not, I’m improving along the way as I read more books, write more essays, and discover more words I’m mispronouncing.

After all, and make fun of me if you want, I’m an English major.