Sometimes I worry that if I don't spend every waking moment of my life thinking in Spanish instead of my native English, I will quickly lose the ability to speak even the most basic phrases and my upcoming trip to Spain will not only be a huge failure, but also extremely frustrating. Then, I stop and tell myself to be rational and I ease my own fears.
I have been studying Spanish since 2008 and that doesn't count what I learned in school between 1996 and 2004. Sure, if I were to stop speaking Spanish entirely I would most certainly lose the ability to speak it as well as I do now, but it's silly to think that counting to five in English instead of in Spanish is detrimental to my progress. I suppose I have been this way with all of my hobbies throughout my life, but I think the important thing for me to realize here is that Spanish is becoming a way of life for me, not just a hobby. Sure, there are days when I feel like I can't even recall how to say cat and dog in Spanish, but then there are the days where I feel almost more comfortable using Spanish than I do using English. By practicing just a little bit every day, I retain the information without burning out my brain. I am getting used to the idea that I can switch between the two languages fairly easily and my hopes are that after spending four weeks in Madrid I will come home much more comfortable speaking in Spanish conversationally. I don't expect to come home necessarily knowing any more of the language than I already do, rather I simply seek the confidence to speak more freely and without as much hesitation.
Of course I fear that once I return, life will slowly go back to the way it was and I will not use Spanish nearly as much as I would like. My hopes are that by gaining the confidence to speak more openly, it will open new doors for me and present me with new chances to use the language on a day to day basis. Once you've found yourself comfortable with your new language, what do you do to maintain it? If you're not 100% immersed in the language, what ways do you study to keep it sharp in your mind? I'd love to her thoughts on this. Let me know!
