Learning Spanish

I took 3 years of French in high school and 2 years of French in college. Before arriving last summer I knew how to count to 10 in Spanish (thanks, Wolf Branch Kindergarten) and how to ask "Where is the bathroom?". Oh--and I knew "hola" and "gracias". That was all. I could speak more Danish than Spanish, and that's a pretty rare occurrence.

After six weeks, I had absorbed a lot of language (mostly food related--being a vegan in a country like this requires some fairly advanced language skills), but I certainly wasn't having conversations in Spanish. After accepting a job here that started in January, there was only one practical option...

I had to learn Spanish. Quickly.

Last fall I enrolled in a class at the community college in Springfield. Spanish 101. Not exactly a "learn-quick" method, but I did have an excellent teacher. Although my Spanish wasn't advanced by the end of the semester, the class was certainly helpful. I learned to count beyond 10 (I can get all the way to 100 now!) and I learned a lot of the basics. More importantly, taking that course helped me retain the Spanish I had absorbed and begin using it. A little.

As a language teacher, I am totally aware that the best way to learn a language is to be immersed in it. I've learned enough about language acquisition to recognize certain stages, too. For example, by the end of last summer I could recognize the beginnings and ends of words and phrases (thank goodness Spanish is so rhythmic), and I could even recognize a few individual words on occasion. When we came back, it took me a few weeks to get comfortable with Spanish again, but my comprehension quickly improved. By the end of January, I was repeating chunks of language. Now, I'm putting together my own sentences (with the worst grammar in the world!) and having short conversations.

The director of primary (my boss) doesn't speak very much English, and while I was very frustrated at the beginning of the year, I'm incredibly grateful now. I am literally forced to speak in Spanish to her because otherwise I would be unable to communicate with my boss. She is patient with me and helps me out with verb tenses as I speak, but I am the one speaking Spanish. It is very empowering.

I'm also having short conversations with other people... last week I ordered 18 pastries to be picked up the next day at the local bakery, I got a pedicure and explained I wanted French tips all by myself, I talked to the taxi drivers without Warren's help at least twice, and I asked a salesman if he had Sex and the City, 30 Rock, or The Simpsons on DVD.

I mentioned it before, but on Friday we had a few people over, and I spoke in Spanish about 60% of the time. Of course, I've demonstrated my advanced Spanish skills many times after a glass or two of wine. Stellita, my favorite Spanish teacher in Colombia (and the principal of LPV) encourages the habit because she notices drastic improvement in my Spanish when I've had a little to drink. I think it helps that she is also drinking... but there was a study in the '60s that demonstrated people do speak foreign languages better after one drink. Less inhibited and all that. Go figure.

Oh--I forget this: I can write in Spanish, too. I've been planning our upcoming trip to Ecuador, and I force myself to write emails to the various hotels and tour companies in Spanish.

Anyway, speaking and writing in Spanish is a little bit thrilling for me. I get a little happy adrenaline rush when I speak in Spanish, and when I've had a successful conversation it really boosts my confidence in my abilities. I'm grateful I get to learn the language here naturally, and not just in a classroom. It has helped me learn how to teach my own students, and I've also learned to really embrace the immersion methods we use here.

My goal is to be able to speak to the parents of my students at the end of the year without a translator. I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe I'll even blog about it in Spanish.

p.s. So, I just tried to ask for my snack in the cafeteria (yeah, we get a free snack every day), and the lady refused to understand me even though I was asking for an arepa, which is like the national food of Colombia. I asked three times and she finally asked if I wanted pan (bread), and then handed me an arepa. Apparently, I'm not as good as I think I am. : )