Hola chic@s,
Espero que estén bien (I hope you’re well)
Following on from last week’s newsletter, more fish have been appearing in my life 🐟
Remember there are two words for ‘fish’ in Spanish:
Pez
Pescado
But which one means a ‘dead fish’ and which one is a ‘live fish’?
Take a stab and I’ll reveal the answer at the end.
Bueno (anyway) I was at a restaurant for my friend’s birthday yesterday and a whole fish was brought out as one of the plato principales (main dishes).
The waiter asked if anyone knew how to fillet it.
Awkward silence.
Nobody wanted to be the person who didn’t know.
So I said I didn’t, and asked him to show me.
If there’s one thing Spanish has taught me, it’s getting comfortable with public exposure.
The waiter moved the plate next to me.
A few simple cuts, remove ‘las espinas’ (the bones) and serve.
After the initial moment of awkwardness I had a moment to shine.
Another fish was served and I got to put into practice what I had just been taught.
This is ideal learning - putting into practice what you’ve just seen straight away.
But I’ve come to realise the opposite is true.
Act first, look a little foolish, ask questions and repeat what you’ve just learned.
Confidence arrives afterwards.
You don’t need to become some perfectly polished Spanish speaker before you start participating in life.
You just need to participate a little bit more than you did yesterday.
Stay in the moment, when you’d rather hide.
I spent years ‘learning Spanish’.
Now I live it.
And honestly, I love the moments of embarrassment, because I know that life is waiting on the other side.
God Bless Spanish.
Keep getting out there chic@s.
Filleting fish and rebelling against the dopamine, disconnected culture.
Un abrazo grande,
Harrison
Language for living, not just learning
P.S - For the past few months I’ve been building something called ‘Spanish for living’. It’s designed to help you move from just ‘learning Spanish’ to feeling confident speaking it. If you’d like early access, just reply with: ‘estoy interesado/a’ and I’ll add you to the waiting list.
P.P.S - Pez = a fish that’s alive. Pescado = a fish that’s dead
