Anticonceptivo

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“Anticonceptive” is the Spanish word for contraceptive or “anti-conception.” In English we call it birth control. This blog isn’t a lesson in contraceptive medications but rather a hilarious anecdote about the time I accidentally purchased birth control for my teenage sister who was visiting us. Language is a very funny thing and can get you into a lot of trouble if you’re not careful with it. In fact, I can recall many times I have found myself in embarrassing situations because of a mistake I made in Spanish, but more times than not, they were harmless and often quite comical slips of the tongue. Not only are they comical but that actually lead to a greater understanding of your target language or the language you are trying to learn. Those embarrassing situations help to cement specific words or phrases in your mind that consequently result in greater fluency.

One example stands out in my mind as I think back on my embarrassing language mishaps and is the one that I am going to share with you all today. My sister, Gabrielle, or Gabby as she is most commonly called by her peers, was visiting us for a six month stint. She had saved up enough money to fly to Guatemala and spend half of 2022 with us. The visit overall was a challenging one and really tested our brother-sister relationship but all in all, I believe it made our bond stronger, which I am grateful for. Many people asked when we returned to the United States last summer at the end of her visit, “so how was it having your sister with you?”. Nine times out of ten I responded with a statement that I believe summed up our time pretty well, “I am happy to be Gab’s brother again,” I would say. Despite the challenges we faced together and Gab, personally, I would joyfully welcome her back anytime and she has since returned. I am anxious to see what role Guatemala plays in her life moving forward and vice-versa.

One day, as Rose, Gabby, and I were leaving the gym, she mentioned that she was starting to feel a cold coming on. She had woken up with a sore throat and stuffy nose that morning but pressed on to get her workout in and “close her circles” on her iWatch (for all my fellow Apple users out there, you probably know what I am talking about). I think in her mind, she could sweat it out but it just didn’t cut it. So she asked, “Christian, can you stop by a farmacia (pharmacy) and get me some cold medicine, I just feel so stuffed up.” “Sure, not a problem,” I replied, “there’s a pharmacy right around the corner.” I pulled up to a small pharmacy right around the corner from our gym, put the truck in park, threw on my flashers, and went in.

At this point, I would say that I was quite “fluent” in Spanish. Was my Spanish perfect? By no means! In fact, it still isn’t and I don’t know if it ever will be. Fluency for me is not the same as accuracy. Fluency is understanding and being understood. You may make mistakes, as I often still do, but you can certainly get around and accomplish most tasks with ease. That is where I was at this point in my language ability.

I asked the pharmacy attendant behind the counter if they had an “anticongestivo,” which would be the English equivalent of a “anti-congestant” or decongestant as it is commonly referred to in our language. The woman said, “Claro, aqui esta,” as she grabbed a small blue box from one of the shelves and handed it to me. Without taking a second look, I grabbed the box and paid for the medication (which now that I think about it, was quite expensive for cold medicine). Being the only physical therapist in town, she took her opportunity to whip her leg up on a nearby chair, pull up her skirt and show me her swollen foot. She noted that she was diabetic and that her feet ached terribly. She stood for most of the day, which I’m sure didn’t made it unbearable. I took down her name and number and scheduled a consultation for the next day.

I left with the small box in my hand, climbed back into the driver seat and off we went, heading home. I tossed the box into the back seat where Gab was seated. She asked, “what is this medication anyways?” Fair question. I told her, “I don’t know exactly, but its a decongestant to help with your stuffiness. Rose, in all her wisdom, asked to see the box. Gab handed it to her and seconds later, Rose burst into laughter. She exclaimed, “Christian! This is an anticonceptivo!” I responded, “What? Give me it! Lemme have a look.” Sure enough, there it was. A small blue box of birth control medication. I immediately turned the truck around and made my way quickly back to the pharmacy, trying to process what I would say!

Fortunately, we hadn’t made it more than a minute down the road when the whole situation came to light. I put the truck in park once more, hopped out and hurried into the pharmacy, box in hand. I apologized to the woman and said, in Spanish, “Forgive me, I need an ‘anticongestivo’ not ‘anticonceptivo’, you know, for ‘gripe’ (a cold).” The woman and I laughed together about the whole ordeal and I told her that I was still learning Spanish. She graciously exchanged the items and gave me more than three-quarters of my money back, because of course cold medication is not that expensive.

I wished her a goodbye and got back in the truck. The three of us laughed and noted that this is one for the books! I am proud to finally get it in writing, somewhere will it will be safe and forever stored if my mind fails me.

Where is the application of GRACE + GRIT in a story like this? For me, it is the grace I am continually shown on a daily basis, not just by my Heavenly Father, but by the warm welcome of the Guatemalan people. The grit is the day to day struggle as I fight with my self to be disciplined with my studies, as I review my flashcards, as I complete my Spanish lessons all in an effort to communicate more effectively and connect on a deeper level with those around me. And day after day, I see the continual grace, as I fail and make mistakes. I am so grateful for this grace and I appreciate the gritty process it takes to learn another language.

Only 20% of Americans are bilingual, yet nearly 100% claim they wish they spoke more than one language. I would encourage anyone reading this, to start by downloading DuoLingo. It is a free language learning app that was created by a Guatemalan! It’s a fun and interactive way to start learning another language. If you download it, and choose Spanish as your target language, be sure to add me as a friend (username: raymondchristian) so we can encourage one another through some friendly competition!