First Day

It's after midnight and I've taken two naps since I arrived, but now I can't sleep. I can see a clock on my computer showing the time in San Francisco. It's 9:10 there. Maybe I need to stay up a little longer before I can go back to sleep.

Today was not a bad day, but it was a little stressful. Getting from the airport to my apartment didn't go as I had planned, but I made it. After that, I started noticing the fear and hesitation I have that stops me from doing things that I want or have to do.

The first time I noticed it was when I went to eat lunch. I went to a restaurant I had looked into many times, but I always felt intimidated by it. Today I saw a delicious looking pizza on the menu and the restaurant was not crowded, so I just took a deep breath and went inside. I found it to be like any other restaurant. The server brought me a menu and took my order. She was very nice, even though I felt very uncomfortable. Why was I uncomfortable? It is my first day back here after one year. I need some time to get used to the language, especially the language that they speak here, the special Argentine accent, the vocabulary, the speed, etc.

But what I realize is that each time I put myself into a situation, even if it is uncomfortable, I learn something. For example, today I kind of messed up after I asked for the check. The server and another guy came to my table. I had not finished my lunch, but was full. The 2nd guy said, "la retiro?", which at first I thought he was asking me if I wanted to take it home. It was just an impulse because that is what they usually ask in the US. I said no. But then I remembered that I understood what that meant and said yes. Now I think I will remember that here they always ask if they can clear your table, but I don't think they ever ask if you want to take unfinished food home.

I hope that I will gain more confidence so that I can put myself into more situations where I have to talk to people. I notice how I avoid asking questions in shops because I am not sure exactly what to say, but if I do talk to clerks in shops, or servers in restaurants, they are always nice and often they tell me how good my Spanish is.

Overall, today was not a bad day. I bought a cell phone, went out for lunch, changed some money and went to the supermarket. In one day I am pretty settled. Now tomorrow, I am going to go to the gym and try to get a membership. I have no idea what to say, but I am going to do my best.