The answer...to dry skin

In my previous blog post, I included the following photographs and asked my readers to respond to the question: Judging by the container and label of the following product, what do you think this is?

a. Shampoo
b. Conditioner
c. Shower Gel
d. Lotion

 

Eight (which seems like a low number, but it's the most commenters I've had for one post) of you were brave enough to post your answers.  And I thank those readers.  But before I reveal that answer, I feel I should add to the meager suspense of my trivial question and explain the story behind it...

After my first month in Murcia I started to run out of body lotion.  I decided to buy more so that I would have a bottle on-hand for when I ran out.  I went to the supermarket and choose a brand that I had tried and trusted in the past.  And, of course, the natural selection for an American in my case would be Johnson & Johnson.  (But make no mistake, this came after several minutes of sincere contemplation and consideration in the hygiene isle.)  I finally selected the bottle above and thoughtfully stored it in my bathroom cabinet when I got home.

A few weeks later I finished the last bit of my original bottle of lotion and decided to open the new bottle of Johnson's Body Care.  Immediately I thought it was strange that the lotion was very liquidy and difficult to rub into my skin.  Instead of double checking the front label, I checked the back label to see where the product was manufactured.  Madrid.  Sometimes American products are different when they're produced in another country.

"These Spanish have weird lotion," I thought...then continued using the lotion.

The next day, I did the same, but I started to think that 4+ minutes was a ridiculous amount of time to be standing in the bathroom, waiting for the lotion to absorb in my skin.  Later that evening I started asking some of my female Spanish friends what brand of lotion they use.  None of them responded with "Johnson's," so I started doubting the brand.  Maybe I should find a new one, I thought.

Still I was determined to get my 4€'s worth.

After a few days of obstinacy, I finally admitted that I needed a new kind of lotion.  I was talking to Craig at lunch, showing him the dry skin all over my face and lamenting about my newfound distrust in Johnson & Johnson.  So after work he offered me a ride to the supermarket so I could pick out a new type of lotion.

That evening while we were scanning the aisles of Carrefour, the local supermarket, I located the detested Johnson's body lotion.

"Look, Craig!  This is the crappy stuff I bought earlier!"

We both stood there staring at the label, and something told me look up and check the name of the aisle in which we were standing.

Geles de Ducha.  (Shower Gels.)

At about the same time I realized my mistake, Craig started, "Um...Ashley?"

Humiliated, I threw the bottle back on the shelf and said, "I know, I know.  Don't say anything,"and dashed out of the section.

But of course a moment of stupidity like that couldn't go unmentioned, so I turned around and we had a good laugh about it.  Then I found proper loción.

So for those of you who responded "d. Lotion," I'm glad I'm not the only one who missed the fine print under "Naturally Soft."  To be fair, "Gel de Ducha" is difficult to spot.  And hidratante, which is more visible than the word gel, means "moisturizing."  So thank you for making me feel like I'm not the only one who was mislead by poor marketing design. 

And for those of you who replied with "c. Shower Gel."  Good for you.  I'm glad you can show up my Spanish skills, which I have been developing for nine years, in two minutes.  Thank you.  As a disclaimer, I do have to say that this took place almost two months ago.  I'd like to think that my speaking (and reading) abilities have advanced since then.

But in all seriousness, the "moral of the story" here is humility.  When learning any new language, there are going to be moments of misconception and embarrassment.  There will be days when a cashier will ask me for my special shopper's card and I respond by telling her my zip code.  There will be days when people will tell me to jump in front of them in line and I simply stand and smile.  There will be days that sales representatives will wince as in they're in pain as they try to make sense of my accent.  But that's all part of learning, practicing, and improving.  

Though it hasn't been easy, I've learned to accept that I'm going to make mistakes.  And although not everyone may not see it, it's only important that I know that the way I speak is not directly correlated with my intelligence and/or competence.  I may appear "less intelligent" or childlike to others, but I know that mental effort that I'm making within.  The best thing to do is just laugh, marked it as a lesson learned, and keep speaking.  And even if it entails rubbing soap all over my body and not rinsing it off for 24-hours, acquiring Spanish is a process well-worth fleeting moments of embarrassment.  

And it makes for good stories.