Spain Awaits Anonymous

I get off of the train into the piercingly cold winter morning, anxious, not knowing what to expect. "So who am I supposed to be looking for?" I think as I nervously scan my surroundings. After a draining 20 hour flight and train ride to get to a small rural town in Spain to meet my family for the first time, I do not know whether to be excited or nervous. As I see, in the distance, two women emerging from the darkness, I automatically remember that I don't speak Spanish! How am I going to communicate with them when all I can say is hello? Will this language barrier keep me from truly knowing the distant family I so eagerly wish to learn about? I can only hope not.

Immediately I am welcomed with a warm hug. "Hola!" I exclaim, trying to display my excitement with my limited vocabulary. "Soy Robert" I say, nervous of saying things improperly. They respond instantaneously with what seems like words spoken only by aliens. My mom, however, mercifully comes to my rescue, as I stand there in befuddlement, stating that I do not speak Spanish. I automatically see disappointment in their eyes. Disappointment? Does this mean that I will not be able to gain a connection with the very people I crave to be so...