“You’re sure you know what stop it is?”
“Yes, mi amor.”
“And you know where to go when you get out of the subway?”
“Yes, mi amor.”
“And you have my phone number just in case you need anything?”
“Yes, mi amor.”
“And you’re sure you know how to get there. And that you’ll be okay.”
“Yes, mi amor. I love you. Ciao.”
I’m free! I take the elevator down to the ground floor and step out onto Carlos Pellegrini (our street), and make my way underground to take the subway alone to my Spanish lesson at Gabriela’s sunny apartment in the Abasto area.
The ride is uneventful, I spend most of it staring at a couple who are dressed very Italian, very “bella figura”. I get off at Medrano and I more or less remember where her building is. We pass an hour and a half conjugating verbs, chatting about Tango, travelling, Italy, Seattle, our lives. I am starting to feel a little bit more confident about my Spanish. I am speaking very slowly and carefully, but at least I’m speaking. The lesson goes well, I practice reading out loud to work on my pronunciation, I understand most of it because it’s just Italian spelled differently. Gabriela accompanies me downstairs and I walk back to take the subway home.
When I get there, I decide I might be on the wrong side. Feeling comfortable asking directions in Spanish, I decide it’s best to go to the ticket booth to ask which direction this train will be going, before I make any mistakes and end up somewhere I don’t want to end up.
I walk right up to the window, open my mouth, and out comes “Mi scusi - in quale direzione va questo treno?” Oh shoot. That was Italian! Oh well. The girl still understands me and helps me figure out where to go.
All in a days work, I guess 
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1 user responded in this post
Brava, you went out there alone and you returned safely! That’s a great first step, and they will all be easier from now on.
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