I went to dinner with two of my best friends the other night and was introduced for the first time to one of their girlfriends. Normally, this isn't much of a big deal to me, but it just so happened that this young woman was originally from Ecuador, recently spent two months in Madrid, and obviously spoke fluent Spanish in a way that would have made me sound like a four year old boy trying to form complete sentences.
Initially, I saw this as an opportunity to really practice my Spanish conversational skills, but with each passing minute in which I spoke English, the idea of switching to Spanish drifted farther and farther from my mind. When we all parted ways that evening I offered to spend the next time we got together speaking in Spanish, but once I got home I realized how much of an opportunity I had just wasted. Why was I so shy about speaking to a native Spanish speaker? Was it because I was surrounded by two English speaking friends? Did I think she would laugh at me or was I worried that I would say something completely ridiculous, or worse, offensive? Honestly, I think it was all of the above. I have always had a difficult time using Spanish with someone I know speaks English as well. In addition, since none of my friends speak anything but English, I feel silly offering to say things in Spanish when they won't understand anyway. Sure, it might have made for a good laugh to carry on a faux conversation with her for a few moments while my friends listened in, but would it have served me well or just been a silly party trick? I guess I can't really answer that as I didn't even take the shot.
So what's the solution? I am leaving for Madrid in 250 days with the intention of spending every waking moment using Spanish, or at the very least, avoiding English at all costs. Will being surrounded by only Spanish speaking people finally push me to the point that I am not afraid to speak? More importantly, even if all goes well in Spain, will I have the confidence to continue using it when I return home? I would hate to spend a month in a foreign country only to lose my skills upon returning home.
I know I really should just get over it. No one is going to laugh at me, and honestly, they should be impressed, even if they don't know what I'm saying. Going to Spain surely is a way to force myself to use the language but perhaps it's time to find other ways to force myself into using it. I think the most important part in speaking successfully in a foreign language is simply having the confidence to do it. For me, confidence comes and goes in waves. Hopefully I can find a solution that brings me to the crest of one of those waves and keeps me there for at least a little while.
Thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated! Good luck!
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Buying The Ticket
I have officially purchased all of the major items I need in order to take my trip to Spain. I have my passport, I rented a room, and just this week, I bought my ticket. Now I just have to wait the eight months before I can fly out.
Just like learning Spanish, planning for this trip was a step by step process, and I think without the experience I have had with learning Spanish, I may have never made it this far. I think we all have dreams and fantasies of the life experiences we want to have, but few of us manage to fulfill all of these dreams simply because we lack planning. Now, to be fair, I have always been keen on making lists and setting dates for when I want to accomplish my goals, but one thing I have learned is that a list alone won't do it. Sure, it's helpful to have a guide, but it's only as effective as the person who carries out the steps. All too often I have become impatient and wanted to move forward too quickly and I think this was the cause of many of my early failures. I have found that there needs to be a balance between giving yourself adequate time to progress versus simply waiting too long and letting opportunities pass you by. Planning out my trip to Spain has been a learning process, and thankfully I have had help along the way in planning it all out. Without some assistance, I think it would have fallen apart just like many of my other ideas.
I had set a goal of purchasing the plane ticket in October. I was hoping by then the prices would be low and I would have saved ample cash to go ahead and buy it. Of course, October was still months away when I set that goal and I watched as the prices fluctuated up and down. Sure, I was hoping to find a great deal, but from the very beginning of planning this trip I had an idea in mind of what the ticket was going to cost me. Well, just this week the prices went up and down like crazy and I finally decided I had to jump at the opportunity. The price was actually a bit lower than I had planned on spending, but slightly higher than I had seen it previously. Well, I couldn't make any more excuses. Waiting until October was just another chance to fail in my trip. Buying the ticket this week would solidify my trip and finally make this dream of mine reality. And a reality it now is.
Originally, the trip was planned for May of 2016, not 2015. In my mind, I needed two years to prepare myself both psychologically and financially to go across the sea, when in truth, two years simply gave me enough time to find excuses not to take the trip. A lot can happen in two years and it would have been very easy to use any little event to discourage me from going. A year of planning is a safe goal. It makes saving enough money a realistic possibility while at the same time keeping the idea fresh in your mind so you don't lose your motivation to go. Now that it's official, I am aching to set sail! Buying the ticket was another part of the process that took careful planning and making the right choice as to when to buy.
Balancing our steps isn't always easy, but it's necessary in order to succeed. I think I found the right balance of being patient and still moving forward and thanks to my discovery, my dream of traveling to Spain is now going to be a reality!
Just like learning Spanish, planning for this trip was a step by step process, and I think without the experience I have had with learning Spanish, I may have never made it this far. I think we all have dreams and fantasies of the life experiences we want to have, but few of us manage to fulfill all of these dreams simply because we lack planning. Now, to be fair, I have always been keen on making lists and setting dates for when I want to accomplish my goals, but one thing I have learned is that a list alone won't do it. Sure, it's helpful to have a guide, but it's only as effective as the person who carries out the steps. All too often I have become impatient and wanted to move forward too quickly and I think this was the cause of many of my early failures. I have found that there needs to be a balance between giving yourself adequate time to progress versus simply waiting too long and letting opportunities pass you by. Planning out my trip to Spain has been a learning process, and thankfully I have had help along the way in planning it all out. Without some assistance, I think it would have fallen apart just like many of my other ideas.
I had set a goal of purchasing the plane ticket in October. I was hoping by then the prices would be low and I would have saved ample cash to go ahead and buy it. Of course, October was still months away when I set that goal and I watched as the prices fluctuated up and down. Sure, I was hoping to find a great deal, but from the very beginning of planning this trip I had an idea in mind of what the ticket was going to cost me. Well, just this week the prices went up and down like crazy and I finally decided I had to jump at the opportunity. The price was actually a bit lower than I had planned on spending, but slightly higher than I had seen it previously. Well, I couldn't make any more excuses. Waiting until October was just another chance to fail in my trip. Buying the ticket this week would solidify my trip and finally make this dream of mine reality. And a reality it now is.
Originally, the trip was planned for May of 2016, not 2015. In my mind, I needed two years to prepare myself both psychologically and financially to go across the sea, when in truth, two years simply gave me enough time to find excuses not to take the trip. A lot can happen in two years and it would have been very easy to use any little event to discourage me from going. A year of planning is a safe goal. It makes saving enough money a realistic possibility while at the same time keeping the idea fresh in your mind so you don't lose your motivation to go. Now that it's official, I am aching to set sail! Buying the ticket was another part of the process that took careful planning and making the right choice as to when to buy.
Balancing our steps isn't always easy, but it's necessary in order to succeed. I think I found the right balance of being patient and still moving forward and thanks to my discovery, my dream of traveling to Spain is now going to be a reality!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)