My first conversations in Córdoba were slow and lurchy, but by the end of my time there I could hold a smooth conversation on almost any topic. Sure, there were words I didn’t understand, and I’d have to stop people to explain themselves mid-sentence; but I also started understanding jokes and was able to read a menu without having to take out my phone to google image search every single dish!
Learning a language is hard, as I’m sure you all know. You have to practice every day, memorize vocab and teach your brain to think in a completely new way. It is also totally worth it. When you get into a situation where someone doesn’t understand your English and you suddenly remember that you can slip into Spanish, finding a common mode of communication, it feels magical, almost like speaking a secret language, but one that has real-life applications.
I remember a few times in college at Grinnell, a fellow student’s parent would be on campus looking for something and needed directions or guidance. I would try speaking in English only to realize that Spanish was their preferred language. It was exhilarating to be able to accommodate their communication preferences and provide the support they needed in the way they needed it.
Through these long, dark winter months, I implore you to keep at it, invest your energy into the little things – learning those verb tenses, amassing new vocabulary, familiarizing yourself with grammar structures – because someday, you’ll thank yourself for all the work you did: speaking a language really is about all those tiny things, the tiny things that make you confident and fluent, able to hold a conversation with someone in a whole new way.
You might, in this way, just change your life!
