Hola chic@s,
Espero que estén bien.
Continuing on from last week’s newsletter, I wanted to share more about my job at that crazy co-working space in my early 20s.
It was pretty unhinged looking back on it.
There was free cerveza served daily and frequent after work fiestas 🎉
I remember once having to call security when I found a middle-aged man, stark naked, passed out in the ground floor lift.
Excelente.
So here I was, working in a job that required me to pour happy hour shots and look after borrachos.
But it wasn’t all chaos.
My Spanish was rusty, but I did manage to build up some close friendships with the latino staff.
There was Francisco 🇨🇴 A part-time body builder and barber. He used to give me
free haircuts in the offices. The style itself was called a ‘siete’ (7) because that was the shape he razored into the side of my head.
Then there was Gloria 🇨🇴 We called her ‘la patrona’ (the big boss). She barely reached 5ft and told me her uncle was Pablo Escobar. We’d enter the lottery every Friday and planned to buy a piece of land in México with the winnings.
And of course Daniel 🇭🇳 We’d spend an hour speaking Spanglish between shifts and he still calls me ‘¡GRINGO!’ to this day.
Remember, my Spanish was not the sharpest.
I forgot words.
I made mistakes.
Half the time I wasn’t even sure what they were laughing about.
But I kept trying anyway.
That’s what Spanish for living is about.
Stumbling forward in real conversations.
Looking back, I don’t really remember the grammar rules I had studied.
I just remember Francisco 🇨🇴, Gloria 🇨🇴 and Daniel 🇭🇳
That’s the real gift of language.
The stories.
So if you need a reminder, here’s your free pass to keep going and making mistakes.
Un abrazo,
Harrison
Language for living, not just learning
P.S - This week’s grammar topic is ‘Los Verbos de Cambio’. These are the verbs that mean ‘to become’ in Spanish and there are 6 of them. Check out the video here (there’s a quiz to complete) and make sure you download the bloody guide.
