NJ Transit

The other day I was on sitting on the train waiting to leave Penn Station listening to Led Zeppelin on my iPod when an old lady sat down next to me. I didn't really think much of it and continued to zone out the window. I had already been seated for a while so I, being perpetually in a rush in the city and therefore being overheated, had already taken off my coat, jacket, scarf etc. This older woman took it upon herself to ask if I had a coat (motherly instincts I'm guessing?), even though there was clearly winter outerwear on the seat next to me. When I told her that I yes, I have one, she nodded approvingly. Weirdo, I thought. She then proceeded to make a phone call in Spanish. I overheard (okay, listened intently) to her saying when she would arrive in South Orange, my stop. So after she hung up I gathered the courage to try to strike up a conversation with her in Spanish.

I found out she was from Venezuela and I explained to her how I came to speak Spanish and she was surprised that my family was not of any Spanish descent. She complimented my accent and we got to talking about my upcoming plans to study in Valencia. She was very excited for me and wished me well in my endeavors.

While it may not seem like a significant conversation, it was a small landmark in my mind in terms of the progress I have made in learning a foreign language. This is the first semester in 7 years that I have not taken a Spanish class, and ever since I moved to New Jersey I have felt that my proficiency in the language had been slipping. Talking to native speakers also makes me very nervous when I speak Spanish.

You never know who you’ll come across on NJ Transit.