I say that my Spanish is probably at B2 level – I can read very well, speak ok, and listen ok.

Every Spanish-speaking country that I visit, I buy a book by an author from that country. Since I am still working my way towards obtaining Spanish fluency, I like this little ritual because it gives me more practice material, and helps me to learn and connect more with the culture of the place. 

However, sometimes it’s very hard to narrow it down to one book. And also, I’ve come to learn that many bookstores in Latin America wrap their books in plastic; meaning that you cannot walk into a store, pick a book off the shelf, open and peruse it. Major bummer. 

In Arequipa, I decided to circumvent this issue by:

• making a list of titles I was interested in
• stopping into the library, perusing those books, and deciding which ones I was most interested in buying
• then heading to the bookstore to purchase the title I wanted

Sounds like a good plan right? It turned out to be a little more complicated than I thought. Especially when you take into consideration that all of my interactions with people along this journey occurred in Spanish.

Library – Biblioteca in Spanish

I popped into La Biblioteca Mario Vargas Llosa since it was right up the street from where I had lunch. I didn’t realize it, but it’s actually more than one building. And many buildings in the historic center of Arequipa actually open up to a courtyard that has many salas (rooms/chambers) surrounding it. So when I entered the first “building”, there was someone like security at the puerta, and it was quite unclear where to even find the books, let alone peruse them.

I greeted security and walked into the nearest sala. Then I proceeded to ask the attendant there how to navigate looking for a particular book. I showed her my list of books that I had made on my phone and she told me that those titles were probably in the building next door. “Go outside?” I asked her in Spanish. “Yes” and she gave me the building number.

I walked over to the other building and again started talking to the first attendant I saw. She looked over my list and started checking the system. The library did not carry the majority of the books, but she did spot one of my titles. She told me to go to the building I had just come from and go to the room with the big black chairs. At first I wasn’t sure I heard her right, because that seemed like odd instructions. But she repeated big black chairs, so I went.

When I returned to the first building courtyard, I asked the security guy that I had greeted earlier if he could tell me where the sala with the big black chairs was. He said yes, and directed me where to go. Thank goodness!

In that sala the attendant was a young man. I told him the book I was looking for. He said, yes, we have it but that I needed a library card. I explained that I didn’t want to take it, just sit and look at it awhile. He told me that that is against the rules…you need a library card. But then he said ok, he’d get the book for me to sit and look at. Thank you sir! I sat with the book for a while to see if it was something that piqued my interest.

Bookstore – Librería in Spanish

Along with a list of titles, I had written down the location of two bookstores that were about a block and half away from each other. The one that was actually closest to me, I passed it by accident because it was quite discrete amongst the other shops around it. So, I went to the bookstore furthest from where I was first.

The store clerk was patient as I ran through title after title and she checked to see if they had it. She had to get on the phone and call someone to ask about the titles. Finally, we found out that they had the book that I had perused in the library, and a book of short stories from my list. She told me the cost. I told her that I wanted one of the books, but that I would go and come back (I still wanted to see what the other bookstore had).

I got to the other bookstore and again ran through the titles with the clerk. This store was larger…seemed like it had more resources. This clerk only used a computer to check what titles they had available. They didn’t carry any of the books on my list! So I thanked her and walked back down to the other store.

When I arrived, I told her that I only wanted the book of stories. She told me ok. Sit, get comfortable. They had to go get the book; apparently they kept most of their books at an offsite location. Mind you this store was TINY. Like three people couldn’t be in there comfortably. She told me to sit on a stool in front of the counter. Shortly, another woman, who I assumed was also a clerk at the store came and started talking to me.

Spanish Chit Chat in the Bookstore

One thing that I’ve really appreciated about Peru, and even more so outside of Lima, is that people do not automatically start talking to me in English; they speak Spanish. And outside of Lima, people have been quite open and ready with conversation. The second clerk and I talked for at least 10 minutes. I told her about the US. She was asking me about how things were, and that it was so much more developed, and that the education was good, and if there were poor people. It’s amazing the very milk and honey image that gets created in the minds of some countries. I just tried to explain the reality to her and that every country has its problems. 

We also chatted about my traveling and how I loved to explore other cultures and eat. And I asked her about what her favorite foods were. Did she have kids? By the time my book arrived, we were besties. I paid for my book, both of the clerks wished me well, and we hugged goodbye.

Fin

It was quite an adventure just to find an interesting book to buy. But I love experiences like this. All the people that helped and guided me along my way to my goal. There were times when I didn’t quite catch everything that was said in Spanish, but I figure it out. The conversations that I got to have and just getting a peek into the mind of others is just so rich to me. And even though I know I fumble my words at times, or use the wrong grammar conjugations, I love that I got to do it all in Spanish!

Moral of the story, don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and talk to people. Regardless of how self-conscious you may feel, you probably know more than you realize. And you’ll never get better unless you practice!

Let me know if you have any stories about navigating a new place or situation using a foreign language. I’d love to hear your stories. And if you want to hear more about my time in Arequipa, check out this post.