England: Andrea Chavez-Lazaro (Local Interactions)

Local Interactions

Being in a big city, I have been exposed to people from all over. Although I have met different people throughout my time here, there is one interaction that I still often think about that occurred within my first couple weeks here.

I was getting on a very crowded bus by myself and met the cutest baby named Max. The woman holding him spoke Spanish. I always get excited to meet Spanish speaking people and so I initiated an interaction. I helped distract Max so he would stop crying and briefly spoke with the woman. I was not sure where this woman was from or how long she had been in London but I knew Spanish was her first language. She spoke English well but still had a British Spanish accent when speaking. I found this funny since I had never heard the mix before.

After they got off the bus, I sat down feeling very happy with the conversation. I did not realize at the moment but this was the first time I spoke Spanish with someone since moving to London. This interaction made me realize how much I missed speaking Spanish and how often I did it in the United States. Since I only really speak Spanish at home, I never thought it would make a difference in my experience here. It was so comforting and natural to speak Spanish with a native speaker; it was a taste from home.

Andrea Chavez-Lazaro

Major: Psychology

Hometown: Verona, Wisconsin