So I finally had the guts to go ahead and make public my YouTube channel. My hopes are to better my Spanish speaking abilities, inspire others to improve their own spoken abilities in foreign languages, and to go forward in learning other languages, as deep down I have always wanted to speak more than just Spanish and English.
I'm hoping to find more people interested in reading my blog here and hopefully interested in offering their own stories and advice here, or on Facebook, or wherever we can find a forum to express ourselves.
I've been nervous abut posting videos of myself for some time. It's quite a bit scarier than posting a blog. Suddenly my face is out there for everyone to see and all my mistakes are a lot more obvious. I still have to record and post my first official video, as what I posted today was only an introduction. I would like to post weekly and focus on topics that pertain to how language learning benefits us. I'm not so interested in learning grammar or focusing on vocabulary, there are plenty of sites for that. Here, I want to just talk about how languages effect us all and hopefully I can build a following based on that premise. My videos, at least right now, are very basic as I really don't know much about editing, but hopefully that too ill improve over time.
I'd love to hear your thoughts here on how I can best offer an entertaining channel while at the same time improving my own speaking ability. (Of course I will be speaking in both English and Spanish. I want everyone to be able to follow along.)
OK, that's it here for now, but hopefully the comments will start rolling in soon. Hasta luego!
Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts
Monday, April 17, 2017
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Powerless
I really wish I had come across this video two or three months ago. It would have made me feel much better about my situation. Living in Spain has been a challenge since day 1. Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets about coming here. It's a beautiful country and I see something new everyday, however it can be a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with the native Spanish speakers. Back home in the U.S., while I was surrounded by plenty of Spanish speakers, I could always fall back on English if I ran into trouble. Here, that just isn't the case. I have to challenge myself each and every day to express myself as clearly as possible in Spanish. While I practiced speaking the language for many years before moving here to Madrid, nothing could have prepared me entirely for what I would face. Sure, I had learned how to ask for a table at a restaurant, but as far as being able to identify all of the items listed on the menu? Not a chance. The best I could do was seek out "pollo," and hope for the best.
Like Gordon, in the video above, I had always been the protagonist of my life. I paid the bills, I drove, I knew where places were, and I knew how to find my way around. Here in Spain, after living here for four months, I am just now gaining the confidence to drive around on my own. I know how to get to a few places, but I fear if I take a wrong turn, all my accumulated Spanish knowledge will be useless if I can't ask for directions home. And when the phone rings at home? Forget it. I know I can do it, but the thought of trying to maintain a phone conversation just give me a headache. I know I shouldn't be avoiding these situations, I should be diving in head first at this point, but it can be very difficult to be confident when you feel so powerless. It's amazing just how important language is in our lives each and every day.
I wonder how many out there face these struggles when it comes to learning a second language? It's one thing to learn it as a hobby, but something entirely different to learn it as a matter of survival. Thoughts?
Like Gordon, in the video above, I had always been the protagonist of my life. I paid the bills, I drove, I knew where places were, and I knew how to find my way around. Here in Spain, after living here for four months, I am just now gaining the confidence to drive around on my own. I know how to get to a few places, but I fear if I take a wrong turn, all my accumulated Spanish knowledge will be useless if I can't ask for directions home. And when the phone rings at home? Forget it. I know I can do it, but the thought of trying to maintain a phone conversation just give me a headache. I know I shouldn't be avoiding these situations, I should be diving in head first at this point, but it can be very difficult to be confident when you feel so powerless. It's amazing just how important language is in our lives each and every day.
I wonder how many out there face these struggles when it comes to learning a second language? It's one thing to learn it as a hobby, but something entirely different to learn it as a matter of survival. Thoughts?
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Back For More
It's been one year since my last entry here, and while I haven't exactly had heavy traffic, I thought I would get back to writing just a bit in the hopes of inspiring myself and others to live their lives more adventurously while learning a new language. If you've read any of my previous entries here, my goal with this blog has always been to push myself and others to have confidence in speaking a foreign language and to use that language to better their lives. My last entry here was written in Madrid, Spain, just a few days before I returned to the United States after spending the month of May in an apartment in the Lavapies neighborhood of Madrid. The year that followed was not at all what I expected it to be, and here I am today, once again writing from Madrid, yes, Madrid, about how learning a second language has changed my life.
When I came back to the United States, initially I was thrilled to be home, but I quickly found myself wanting to return to Spain. The experience had opened my eyes to new things and my life in the United States would never be the same, nor could it compare to a life in Spain. I met a very special woman while I was in Spain the first time, and for the next year, we stayed in contact, talking to each other each and every day, and in October, she came to spend a week with me in the United States. After that week, we made plans for me to come back to Spain, this time permanently, as we were going to live together. I am now proud to say we are to be married (a rather arduous task to take on in Spain for an American such as myself) and we are expecting our first child in November. All of this because I took the risk of traveling to Spain all by myself as a way of discovering who I was and who I could be. Had I never decided to speak Spanish, who knows where I would be today.
I'm not suggesting learning a second language is going to find you the love of your life, but I certainly never would have met my wife if I did not speak Spanish. Speaking Spanish has opened doors for me, not only at home, but worldwide. I can speak confidently to people from 21 different countries that I would not have been able to if I did not speak Spanish. I have no plans on traveling the world, at least not right now, but speaking two languages has made my life infinitely more exciting. After spending just one month in Spain, I was able to say good-bye to the parts of my life I no longer wanted and I was able to become the person I feel I had always been meant to be.
We may move back to the United States in the coming years, we may not, but what's important is that I have found a life here that is certainly more interesting than the one I left behind. I'd love to hear the stories of those who have done similar things, of those who have used Spanish, or any other language for that matter, to change their lives for the better. I know I haven't been around here much, but I plan on spending some more time here from now on. I hope to hear from you.
Check out my Google + community here.
When I came back to the United States, initially I was thrilled to be home, but I quickly found myself wanting to return to Spain. The experience had opened my eyes to new things and my life in the United States would never be the same, nor could it compare to a life in Spain. I met a very special woman while I was in Spain the first time, and for the next year, we stayed in contact, talking to each other each and every day, and in October, she came to spend a week with me in the United States. After that week, we made plans for me to come back to Spain, this time permanently, as we were going to live together. I am now proud to say we are to be married (a rather arduous task to take on in Spain for an American such as myself) and we are expecting our first child in November. All of this because I took the risk of traveling to Spain all by myself as a way of discovering who I was and who I could be. Had I never decided to speak Spanish, who knows where I would be today.
I'm not suggesting learning a second language is going to find you the love of your life, but I certainly never would have met my wife if I did not speak Spanish. Speaking Spanish has opened doors for me, not only at home, but worldwide. I can speak confidently to people from 21 different countries that I would not have been able to if I did not speak Spanish. I have no plans on traveling the world, at least not right now, but speaking two languages has made my life infinitely more exciting. After spending just one month in Spain, I was able to say good-bye to the parts of my life I no longer wanted and I was able to become the person I feel I had always been meant to be.
We may move back to the United States in the coming years, we may not, but what's important is that I have found a life here that is certainly more interesting than the one I left behind. I'd love to hear the stories of those who have done similar things, of those who have used Spanish, or any other language for that matter, to change their lives for the better. I know I haven't been around here much, but I plan on spending some more time here from now on. I hope to hear from you.
Check out my Google + community here.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Why It's Harder To Learn Spanish In Spain
So I have been in Madrid for two weeks now, and I finally feel as if I'm settling in. Nice to know I am finally comfortable, halfway through my trip. That being said, one thing I think I have learned in my time here is that, for me at least, practicing Spanish has actually been harder and even less productive than when I am home in the U.S. "How can that be?" you ask. Well, let me try to explain.
First of all, I arrived in Spain on a Friday morning and I hit the ground running. I was excited, terrified, and exhausted all at once. I had never been to a foreign country, and to be honest, even my experiences in big cities in the U.S. were limited, so to find myself on a subway, chugging away under the streets of Madrid all by myself was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. I found my way to my host's apartment, unpacked, and hit the streets, hoping every stranger on the street would stop to chat. Well, that wasn't the case. In fact, I was nervous to be walking around all alone. I didn't know anything or anyone and I wasn't even sure I could find my way back to the apartment if I strayed too far. My first few days here were a blur and once my vision cleared, I realized not only had I not spoken very much Spanish, I hadn't spoken much at all.
After getting myself quite lost one afternoon, I decided I had better head home, regroup, and plan things out a little better. I realized I had locked myself into a defensive mindset. I was constantly on edge, worried I would get lost or say or do the wrong thing. Instinctively, my brain locked me into English. I wasn't consciously aware of it, but I wasn't allowing myself to think in Spanish. I think I have said it before, but for me, speaking in Spanish is like flipping a switch in my brain. Sometimes it is very easy to switch between languages, and other times, it takes quite a bit of effort. Since I realized the trouble I was having, the switch has been easier to flip, but I am still reverting to English too quickly.
I have two more weeks here and I am hoping I can be more diligent in thinking and then speaking in Spanish. I know I can do it, but it has to be done consciously. I know being out of my comfort zone has had an impact on my abilities and I am hopeful when I return to the U.S. I'll be more comfortable using the language. We'll see. Do you think stress plays a significant role in our language learning? I think I would have to say yes to that. Thoughts or comments?
First of all, I arrived in Spain on a Friday morning and I hit the ground running. I was excited, terrified, and exhausted all at once. I had never been to a foreign country, and to be honest, even my experiences in big cities in the U.S. were limited, so to find myself on a subway, chugging away under the streets of Madrid all by myself was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. I found my way to my host's apartment, unpacked, and hit the streets, hoping every stranger on the street would stop to chat. Well, that wasn't the case. In fact, I was nervous to be walking around all alone. I didn't know anything or anyone and I wasn't even sure I could find my way back to the apartment if I strayed too far. My first few days here were a blur and once my vision cleared, I realized not only had I not spoken very much Spanish, I hadn't spoken much at all.
After getting myself quite lost one afternoon, I decided I had better head home, regroup, and plan things out a little better. I realized I had locked myself into a defensive mindset. I was constantly on edge, worried I would get lost or say or do the wrong thing. Instinctively, my brain locked me into English. I wasn't consciously aware of it, but I wasn't allowing myself to think in Spanish. I think I have said it before, but for me, speaking in Spanish is like flipping a switch in my brain. Sometimes it is very easy to switch between languages, and other times, it takes quite a bit of effort. Since I realized the trouble I was having, the switch has been easier to flip, but I am still reverting to English too quickly.
I have two more weeks here and I am hoping I can be more diligent in thinking and then speaking in Spanish. I know I can do it, but it has to be done consciously. I know being out of my comfort zone has had an impact on my abilities and I am hopeful when I return to the U.S. I'll be more comfortable using the language. We'll see. Do you think stress plays a significant role in our language learning? I think I would have to say yes to that. Thoughts or comments?
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Use It Or Lose It?
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!
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!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
A New Twist
Just this afternoon, I was reading something which got me thinking about ways in which I can further push myself to speak more, and speak more comfortably in Spanish. With less than eight months to go before my trip to Spain, I've been feeling a little lax in my progress and despite doing a lot of reading, I have not been writing, or more importantly, speaking, nearly as much as I should. I constantly tell myself that I should be speaking more, yet I rarely do it as much as I could and while I use writing as a source of practice, that too has suffered a little lately. One idea that had never really occurred to me was to actually use English as a way to stress my Spanish. I always thought using English was a crutch to fall back upon rather than something I could use to push me forward, however the suggestions I came across today have inspired me to at least give it a shot and see where it gets me. Ideally, I'm going to write this post in English and then link it to my Spanish blog and see how well I do translating it all over. Normally, when I write in Spanish, I do my best to simply write without thinking too much about the English equivalent. I've written quite a bit in Spanish, but I fear it is often too oversimplified to get my true point across. I wrote a little about finding your personality in a foreign language and perhaps this will be a way to start on that path. I'm going to write, in English, on a variety of topics that may come up in everyday conversation when meeting someone who speaks a foreign language and then I am going to try to translate it all into Spanish without dumbing it down too much. Let's see if this helps or hurts me. Feel free to comment with your thoughts.
My job: OK, to most, my job in not all that interesting, but here it is. I am a manger of a well known fast food restaurant. I have worked there since I was 16 years old and it's the only real job I have ever known. My responsibilities include running shifts of 10-15 people, handling hiring and training of new crew members, and making the weekly schedule for the employees. Of course there are plenty of other tasks I take on every day, but those are the basics. I enjoy the fast paced environment as well as the variety of people I come across everyday. I hope to someday be the owner of the franchise, but if I can't do that, there are quite a few of other positions for me outside of working in the restaurant day to day.
My interest in Spanish and Spain: I started learning Spanish on my own over the summer of 2008. I had learned a bit in school as a student but it wasn't until I spent my days with many Spanish speaking employees at my job that my desire to really speak the language came out. After years of being able to hold simplified, broken conversations with my employees, I decided I wanted to truly push myself forward to speak the language as fluently as I could. I decided to visit Spain for a number of reasons, but mainly because it is the birthplace of the language. I have never traveled abroad and felt that if I were going to go to a Spanish speaking country, it might as well be the farthest away. Although I have spoken to a few people through the internet from Spain, I don't actually know anyone there and this trip is definitely going to be a social challenge for me just as much as an educational one.
Hobbies: I don't have any specific hobbies, per say, except for the things I do to improve my Spanish. This includes reading books in Spanish, whether they are originally written in Spanish or were translated from another language, writing in Spanish, which can be found here, and watching movies and TV in Spanish.
My home: I live in Connecticut, a small state northeast of New York. I live in a small town sort of near the center of the state. I grew up in Connecticut and have never lived anywhere else. I like it here but lately have been thinking about trying to see more of the United States. This country has quite a bit to see and it would be a shame to spend my life only ever seeing this small part of it.
Travel: I have never traveled much in my life, which is why this trip to Spain is so important to me. It is my first chance to really see more of the world. I am hoping to have a great time and if I like it, maybe I will make plans to see more of the world after I get back.
Social issues: I don't have any one topic that stands out in my mind that I would want to discuss, but there are certainly plenty of things going on in the world that hold my interest and I am sure I could discuss with anyone I meet abroad.
OK, so that´s all I have for now. After reading this, head over to my Spanish blog and see if it all checks out. I´m not sure if this will be the secret to my success or not, but it´s worth a shot.
My job: OK, to most, my job in not all that interesting, but here it is. I am a manger of a well known fast food restaurant. I have worked there since I was 16 years old and it's the only real job I have ever known. My responsibilities include running shifts of 10-15 people, handling hiring and training of new crew members, and making the weekly schedule for the employees. Of course there are plenty of other tasks I take on every day, but those are the basics. I enjoy the fast paced environment as well as the variety of people I come across everyday. I hope to someday be the owner of the franchise, but if I can't do that, there are quite a few of other positions for me outside of working in the restaurant day to day.
My interest in Spanish and Spain: I started learning Spanish on my own over the summer of 2008. I had learned a bit in school as a student but it wasn't until I spent my days with many Spanish speaking employees at my job that my desire to really speak the language came out. After years of being able to hold simplified, broken conversations with my employees, I decided I wanted to truly push myself forward to speak the language as fluently as I could. I decided to visit Spain for a number of reasons, but mainly because it is the birthplace of the language. I have never traveled abroad and felt that if I were going to go to a Spanish speaking country, it might as well be the farthest away. Although I have spoken to a few people through the internet from Spain, I don't actually know anyone there and this trip is definitely going to be a social challenge for me just as much as an educational one.
Hobbies: I don't have any specific hobbies, per say, except for the things I do to improve my Spanish. This includes reading books in Spanish, whether they are originally written in Spanish or were translated from another language, writing in Spanish, which can be found here, and watching movies and TV in Spanish.
My home: I live in Connecticut, a small state northeast of New York. I live in a small town sort of near the center of the state. I grew up in Connecticut and have never lived anywhere else. I like it here but lately have been thinking about trying to see more of the United States. This country has quite a bit to see and it would be a shame to spend my life only ever seeing this small part of it.
Travel: I have never traveled much in my life, which is why this trip to Spain is so important to me. It is my first chance to really see more of the world. I am hoping to have a great time and if I like it, maybe I will make plans to see more of the world after I get back.
Social issues: I don't have any one topic that stands out in my mind that I would want to discuss, but there are certainly plenty of things going on in the world that hold my interest and I am sure I could discuss with anyone I meet abroad.
OK, so that´s all I have for now. After reading this, head over to my Spanish blog and see if it all checks out. I´m not sure if this will be the secret to my success or not, but it´s worth a shot.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
What's There To Be Afraid Of?
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!
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!
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!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
New Friends In New Places
Before I truly dedicated myself to learning Spanish, the program Skype held little appeal to me. I had grown up in the land of chat rooms and instant messaging way back in the 90's and felt they had run their course. When I started looking for ways to improve my communication skills, however, I quickly discovered how useful a program like Skype can be. I can't say exactly how long I have been using the program, but I can say that every one of my Skype friends are native Spanish speakers and none of them live in The United States. Were it not for Skype or other similar chat based programs, I don't know that I ever would have made the progress I have made in speaking Spanish.
This realization brought about another interesting thought to my mind. A monolingual person would likely only have friends who speak the same language as them. That seems logical, right? Well, being at the very least bilingual opens the doors to make many new friends. According to Wikipedia, there are roughly 21 countries in the world in which Spanish is the dominant language. Thanks to Skype, and thanks to my efforts in speaking Spanish, I can potentially make friends in 21 countries in which that wouldn't have been possible were I to only speak English. That's literally MILLIONS of potential friends I would never have had the chance to make were I monolingual.
OK, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact is, speaking multiple languages allows you to meet so many new and interesting people. While I once dabbled in learning additional languages (Italian, French, and Portuguese) I backed off after a few months of studying and made my focus Spanish only, at least until I felt totally comfortable speaking in Spanish without having to fall back on English. I'm not quite there, but the thought has once again popped into my brain, and I can only imagine how my friend list would explode were I to start chatting in Italian, French, and Portuguese. I find it incredible how easy it is to meet new people simply by saying I am an English speaker who is learning Spanish. So many people are eager to talk with me, I honestly can't always respond to them all at once.
My upcoming trip to Spain has inspired me to start thinking about other potential adventures and I started thinking about how great it would be not only to visit each of those 21 different Spanish speaking countries, but to have a Skype friend in each one to potentially meet in person. Sure, 21 countries is a lot of travelling, but to meet at least 21 new friends all over the world would be quite a feat. Right now, I just need to focus on meeting my friends in Spain.
So how has language learning changed your friendship status? Have you found people near and far to help you practice? Does having friends help keep you on pace with your learning? I like to offer challenges to some of my Spanish speaking friends, such as to write 50 words or more in English for me to read next time we chat. Do you think language competitions will help you buckle down and study a little harder? Let me know your thoughts and experiences!
This realization brought about another interesting thought to my mind. A monolingual person would likely only have friends who speak the same language as them. That seems logical, right? Well, being at the very least bilingual opens the doors to make many new friends. According to Wikipedia, there are roughly 21 countries in the world in which Spanish is the dominant language. Thanks to Skype, and thanks to my efforts in speaking Spanish, I can potentially make friends in 21 countries in which that wouldn't have been possible were I to only speak English. That's literally MILLIONS of potential friends I would never have had the chance to make were I monolingual.
OK, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact is, speaking multiple languages allows you to meet so many new and interesting people. While I once dabbled in learning additional languages (Italian, French, and Portuguese) I backed off after a few months of studying and made my focus Spanish only, at least until I felt totally comfortable speaking in Spanish without having to fall back on English. I'm not quite there, but the thought has once again popped into my brain, and I can only imagine how my friend list would explode were I to start chatting in Italian, French, and Portuguese. I find it incredible how easy it is to meet new people simply by saying I am an English speaker who is learning Spanish. So many people are eager to talk with me, I honestly can't always respond to them all at once.
My upcoming trip to Spain has inspired me to start thinking about other potential adventures and I started thinking about how great it would be not only to visit each of those 21 different Spanish speaking countries, but to have a Skype friend in each one to potentially meet in person. Sure, 21 countries is a lot of travelling, but to meet at least 21 new friends all over the world would be quite a feat. Right now, I just need to focus on meeting my friends in Spain.
So how has language learning changed your friendship status? Have you found people near and far to help you practice? Does having friends help keep you on pace with your learning? I like to offer challenges to some of my Spanish speaking friends, such as to write 50 words or more in English for me to read next time we chat. Do you think language competitions will help you buckle down and study a little harder? Let me know your thoughts and experiences!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
The Trip To Spain
The idea came to me mostly as a lark last November. I had often said in passing that I would like to see another country but I had never made any real attempts at actually going through with it. The "old" me was very good at talking the talk but never walking the walk. I would say all kinds of things to my friends only to back out at the last minute. One day I let it slip out that I would like to see Spain someday, not with the intention of going on vacation, but rather to spend time there totally immersed in the language. I had become frustrated with my progress in speaking the language despite becoming rather good at reading and writing. If you don't believe me, check out my blog written entirely in Spanish! My one struggle was still with speaking confidently. While I do not subscribe to the notion that one must live in a foreign country in order to learn the language, I did feel dropping myself in the middle of Spain would force me to speak the language and therefore increase my proficiency. That being said, there was a lot more going on in my head besides simply going to Spain.
I'm 33 years old and I have never left the country. In fact, I have never done much of anything daring. I allowed myself to become content with a life that was fairly plain and uninteresting. I made excuses not to do things and found myself often hidden inside a shell, afraid to face the world around me. Around the same time the idea of travelling to Spain bubbled up inside my thoughts, I had reached a low point in my life. I was unhappy with who I was and who I had allowed myself to become. Those around me saw me as a grumpy, rigid, unhappy person. Instead of countering those notions, I let it define who I was and it brought me into a deep depression. Thankfully, I saw what was happening and through a series of events, I climbed my way out. Part of my resurrection came when I decided to make the trip to Spain a reality instead of a fantasy. Going to Spain became more about challenging who I was and who I wanted to be. It was about more than taking a vacation. It was about putting myself in the most uncomfortable position I have ever been in and telling myself that I can do this. Originally, I planned on making the trip immediately after my 35th birthday in 2016, but thanks to some wonderful inspiration I have decided to go in May of 2015. I will spend the entire month in Spain, dividing my time between Madrid and Valencia and my goal is not to speak Spanish, rather it is to NOT speak English. You see, speaking Spanish is easy enough, but I can always fall back on English. If I make the goal to not use a single word of English, it forces me to find other means of communication.
There are so many other factors that are going to play into this trip. I used to say I was afraid to fly. Well, there aren't too many ways to reach Spain from The United States without a plane. I am quiet in social crowds. If I am going to improve my speaking skills, I'm going to have to talk, and I imagine it will be uncomfortable for me to start conversations with total strangers, especially those who don't speak English. Despite living alone, I have never been comfortable going places on my own where I don't know people. I am fairly certain I do not know a single person in Spain. This trip is about so much more than seeing a foreign country. This trip is about challenging myself and every aspect of who I am.
So what I want to know is how those of you out there have used a new language to overcome any fears or reservations about life you may have? Has speaking a new language offered you the confidence to do things you wouldn't have otherwise done? I still have months to prepare for my trip and it has given me a new reason to wake up with a smile on my face every morning. How about you? Let me know and I'll be sure to add more here soon.
I'm 33 years old and I have never left the country. In fact, I have never done much of anything daring. I allowed myself to become content with a life that was fairly plain and uninteresting. I made excuses not to do things and found myself often hidden inside a shell, afraid to face the world around me. Around the same time the idea of travelling to Spain bubbled up inside my thoughts, I had reached a low point in my life. I was unhappy with who I was and who I had allowed myself to become. Those around me saw me as a grumpy, rigid, unhappy person. Instead of countering those notions, I let it define who I was and it brought me into a deep depression. Thankfully, I saw what was happening and through a series of events, I climbed my way out. Part of my resurrection came when I decided to make the trip to Spain a reality instead of a fantasy. Going to Spain became more about challenging who I was and who I wanted to be. It was about more than taking a vacation. It was about putting myself in the most uncomfortable position I have ever been in and telling myself that I can do this. Originally, I planned on making the trip immediately after my 35th birthday in 2016, but thanks to some wonderful inspiration I have decided to go in May of 2015. I will spend the entire month in Spain, dividing my time between Madrid and Valencia and my goal is not to speak Spanish, rather it is to NOT speak English. You see, speaking Spanish is easy enough, but I can always fall back on English. If I make the goal to not use a single word of English, it forces me to find other means of communication.
There are so many other factors that are going to play into this trip. I used to say I was afraid to fly. Well, there aren't too many ways to reach Spain from The United States without a plane. I am quiet in social crowds. If I am going to improve my speaking skills, I'm going to have to talk, and I imagine it will be uncomfortable for me to start conversations with total strangers, especially those who don't speak English. Despite living alone, I have never been comfortable going places on my own where I don't know people. I am fairly certain I do not know a single person in Spain. This trip is about so much more than seeing a foreign country. This trip is about challenging myself and every aspect of who I am.
So what I want to know is how those of you out there have used a new language to overcome any fears or reservations about life you may have? Has speaking a new language offered you the confidence to do things you wouldn't have otherwise done? I still have months to prepare for my trip and it has given me a new reason to wake up with a smile on my face every morning. How about you? Let me know and I'll be sure to add more here soon.
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