On Fridays, I get to provide diabetes care at a local clinic where about half of the people I see are Spanish-speaking only. We do have wonderful interpreters, but I have a strong desire to communicate directly with my clients and really understand what they are saying, in their language.

My Spanish is getting better, but I keep giving myself permission to appreciate where I am now, with the belief that even at my age, I can keep improving.

Learning Spanish Isn’t Easy

I took a few years of high school Spanish, but never really had a grasp on the language until I signed up to move to a small pueblo in Mexico, in 1987, to volunteer as a rural healthcare worker.

I lived with a local family and helped with daily chores in addition to providing services in the clinic. As part of the “Projecto Projimo”, I helped with everything from cleaning bathrooms to dressing wounds as pictured here. I also attended classes daily in Spanish, to become a “Promotora de Salud”, a community health worker.

Along with learning Spanish, I have gained some other valuable insights that I would like to share.

1. I’ve learned how to be still and listen

For the first few months I lived in Mexico, my Spanish was so bad I was reluctant to talk and embarrass myself.

Instead I did a lot of careful listening and observing.

As with anyone acquiring a new language, my brain was looking for patterns and listening for frequently used words. I studied cognates and learned about sentence structure and common phrases in my textbook, “Donde No Hay Doctor – Where There is No Doctor”, which I would read every night before passing out from mental exhaustion.

By the third month of living within this new community, I was able to understand most of the questions being asked and respond with rudimentary sentences. Sometimes I could even conjugate in the past tense. That was 30 years ago.

Now, working in the clinic, I have had to dust off my Spanish language skills, that have been languishing in the recesses of my brain for almost three decades. I have committed myself to expanding my Spanish vocabulary and improving my ability to communicate in ways that are meaningful.

When I meet with our Spanish-speaking clients in my current clinic, to fully understand what they are saying, I have to dedicate my whole being to hearing their diabetes stories.

It all starts with listening.

I am completely present to capture all the words they are saying coupled with their body gestures. Sometimes I get so enraptured in everything they are saying, then when they stop, I forget to ask the next question.

In that silence, we have a moment of understanding and togetherness that goes beyond language.

2. The most important phrase to learn

The funny thing is, in spite of knowing lots of diabetes phrases in Spanish and the names of dozens of fruits and vegetables, plus most of the body parts and medical conditions, there is still one phrase that I need to say with each new person I meet.

“No es su culpa” or “It’s not your fault.“

When people share their diabetes stories with me, it feels like there is an invisible burden they are carrying on their backs. This burden is reflected in tears or embarrassment for elevated blood sugars. For many, that burden is best described as shame.

They somehow believe it is their fault they have diabetes.

I reassure them, that diabetes is not their fault. It is a complex interplay between genetics, environment, access to healthy foods, stress, inequities, body weight, and age.

Each one of us knows people who don’t eat healthfully, have extra weight and don’t exercise, who never get diabetes.

Let’s help people let go of the shame so they can move toward engaging in self-care that improves their sense of self and well-being.

Let’s remind them that they are worth it!

3. Offer Grace to those learning English

The outstanding thing I so appreciate is the grace that my Spanish-speaking clients show me.

So many times I can’t remember a vocabulary word, or I will say a phrase in a funny way. There are moments where I stumble and feel bad that I don’t have the ability to accurately express what I am thinking.

No one has ever made me feel bad about my mistakes. They are respectful and just politely ask, “Mande?”, letting me know that they did not understand what I was trying to communicate.

They are simply grateful that I am trying to communicate in their language.

It reminds me to be patient with people who are trying to acquire the English language. Let’s acknowledge the courage it takes to tackle a language that you did not grow up speaking. Let’s offer them grace and the opportunity to practice speaking this new language.

We can also let them know they are safe to make mistakes with us.

Gracias! Coach Beverly

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