Spanish lesson about life
There are many of my students who have or have already had to make a life-changing decision by moving to Spain. Leaving jobs, often really great ones, homes, familiar surroundings and even part of their family is not easy. That's why today we're talking about these not always easy changes.
I remember when I decided to study Style in Barcelona. Of course, I always had the support of my closest family members, but in the environment… There was everything in the environment. At that time, I worked among Spaniards, so they would just shrug their shoulders when I read fashion history during my lunch break and that was it, but they wouldn’t comment on anything, I just understood that it was strange for them to use their lunch break for something other than relaxation 🙂 My Lithuanian environment was different – when I offered free style consultations during the pandemic, only my closest friend took advantage of the offer, the others showed reserved… distrust. I wouldn’t even have gotten an internship if it weren’t for the unfamiliar women for whom I created advice guides.
I kept learning about fashion, because it's my passion, and I wondered when the women I knew would finally start trusting me, not just as a Spanish teacher. That's how I finished the Master of Style, the Personal Shopper course, the Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle course, the course about the most famous fashion houses, and if I kept waiting for them to show me trust, maybe in another ten years, I don't know how many courses, I would hear a supportive comment. Or maybe not. I don't know what kind of cockroaches live in our Lithuanian heads, but it's not easy to get support.
So when I decided to move, some of my former colleagues shrugged their shoulders. My students tell me the same thing – that they no longer want to share their plans to change countries or learn a language with others because they avoid receiving negativity from their environment. Notice how many people ask for advice anonymously in Facebook groups for the same reason.
When you change your life, no one except your family will applaud your courage and cheer for you, even though you would really like to. On the contrary, your surroundings will definitely test how determined you are not to give up on your desires. And if you find yourself in such a situation, perhaps a Spanish saying will come in handy – I care like a cucumber. (me importa un pepino). Or in other words – you don't care at all what others think 🙂