Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Stepping Out of My “Comfort Zone”

Kim (upper right) with her community and
  a Forest Gump impersonator in Savannah, GA.
   “¿Habla español?”  (Do you speak Spanish?).  I hear this phrase daily at the clinic, as our Hispanic population of patients is rapidly increasing.  “Hablo un poquito de español” (I speak a little Spanish) is my usual response.  Upon my arrival in Savannah, I had to quickly refine my Spanish-speaking skills, in order to meet the needs of this growing population.  While I studied Spanish in school, I’ve realized that conversing with classmates or a professor doesn’t quite compare to speaking a secondary language in the clinical setting.  A lesson I’ve learned through my encounters at Good Samaritan Clinic is this- the best way to learn a language is to simply become immersed in the culture. 
   Some days when there isn’t an available interpreter, I am the primary person who speaks with these patients.  In the beginning days at the clinic, I would feel nervous when I heard someone call me over to speak Spanish.  I quickly realized that this is truly a blessing in disguise because it is during these times that I am challenged to use my Spanish to serve others.  I become a source of communication for these individuals and therefore assist them in their desire to seek medical care.  I push aside my fears and make my best attempt to converse with these patients; sometimes I am fairly successful, while other times it proves to be a little more difficult.  If I am struggling to articulate a certain word or phrase, I take a step back and try to rephrase it.  Whether I am on the phone or speaking Spanish in person, I want to make sure that I help these patients to the best of my ability.  Most of the patients are appreciative of my attempts to speak Spanish.  Of course, there are times I find myself feeling rather exasperated or I’ll realize that a patient seems frustrated with me; I’ve learned to make the best of these situations when they occur, as they simply encourage me to work even harder.
   When I respond that I speak a little Spanish, some of the patients will share with me that they speak a little English.  In these moments, it allows me to see that despite our cultural differences, we are fairly similar.  We have a mutual understanding of how it feels to struggle with expressing our thoughts in a language different from our own and we strive to communicate with each other as effectively as possible.  At this point, patients recognize me from previous encounters and recall that I can speak Spanish.  When they walk into the clinic, they often initiate conversations with me.  I cannot describe how truly heartwarming it is to realize that these patients have accepted me as a person they can communicate with at Good Samaritan Clinic.  My Spanish has greatly improved over these past few months, but I must acknowledge that there is always room for improvement.
   I look forward to the day when my response to the question “Do you speak Spanish?” changes to “Yes, I do speak Spanish” because I know with additional practice I can increase my fluency of this language; thereby continuing to address the needs of our patients who face the challenges of language barriers every day. 

Kim Esposito - Good Samaritan Clinic - Savannah, GA