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.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
Finding My Voice
Just the other night I tried, somewhat in vain, to explain through my Spanish blog my desire to develop a voice in my Spanish writing. No, I don't mean I want to sound like Cervantes, per say, rather I want to have a distinctive voice in my writing. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a "true" writer, as I have never had anything published, but I would say that I enjoy writing quite a bit and I find I have a rather distinctive sound when I babble on in English. The question is, can I ever develop an equally distinctive voice when I write in Spanish or am I destined to always sound generic and flat?
I've held this debate with myself several times, both when it comes to writing as well as speaking. We all have personalities, both on paper and in person when we speak in our native tongue, but what happens when we try to converse in a foreign language, one where perhaps we are unfamiliar with the colloquialisms and subtle nuances of the language we are practicing? On occasion I have managed to raise a few eyebrows when I do in fact use some sort of common phrase only heard in, say, Mexico, but for the most part, despite my familiarity with Spanish, I still find myself only scratching the surface when it comes to expressing myself in more vivid detail, a must for any novice writer.
One of my goals in my Spanish endeavors has always been to write a short story in Spanish, or at the very least, translate one of my English language stories over to Spanish. I have struggled with this only because I find myself constantly searching for a way to say something in Spanish that sounds equivalent to me in English. I find that in order for me to be able to write a short story in Spanish, I first need to be able to express myself freely in the language without constantly falling back on a sloppy English translation.
So my question is this. Have you manged to insert your personality into your foreign language learning, and if so, how did it come about? Or perhaps you've managed to create an entirely unique personality that only suits your second language. How is it different from your native personality? Even after several years of studying Spanish, I still find myself seeking my true voice. I'd be curious to hear anyone else's thoughts on this. Let me know and we'll talk again soon.
I've held this debate with myself several times, both when it comes to writing as well as speaking. We all have personalities, both on paper and in person when we speak in our native tongue, but what happens when we try to converse in a foreign language, one where perhaps we are unfamiliar with the colloquialisms and subtle nuances of the language we are practicing? On occasion I have managed to raise a few eyebrows when I do in fact use some sort of common phrase only heard in, say, Mexico, but for the most part, despite my familiarity with Spanish, I still find myself only scratching the surface when it comes to expressing myself in more vivid detail, a must for any novice writer.
One of my goals in my Spanish endeavors has always been to write a short story in Spanish, or at the very least, translate one of my English language stories over to Spanish. I have struggled with this only because I find myself constantly searching for a way to say something in Spanish that sounds equivalent to me in English. I find that in order for me to be able to write a short story in Spanish, I first need to be able to express myself freely in the language without constantly falling back on a sloppy English translation.
So my question is this. Have you manged to insert your personality into your foreign language learning, and if so, how did it come about? Or perhaps you've managed to create an entirely unique personality that only suits your second language. How is it different from your native personality? Even after several years of studying Spanish, I still find myself seeking my true voice. I'd be curious to hear anyone else's thoughts on this. Let me know and we'll talk again soon.
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!
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Overcoming It
Despite my recently discovered courage to try new things and take on new adventures, I still have plenty of moments of doubt and fear. Just yesterday, for reasons unknown, I started to panic and think about all the negative things that could happen to me during my trip to Spain. Thoughts of being robbed, getting lost, or simply being absolutely miserable crept into my mind and I started asking myself why I was planning this trip in the first place. It's going to cost me a lot of money. It could even potentially cost me my job if I am not careful. What if I come back and have no job, no money left over, and suddenly no place to live? All of these thoughts were charging through my brain and I began to wonder if it was all worthwhile. I have lived comfortably and safely for thirty-three years. I wake up in a safe bed every morning, I drive my little car to my simple job, and I earn a paycheck that lets me spend lazy Saturdays at Starbucks or occasionally see a Thursday night movie with friends. That's not so bad, right? That's a pretty calm and comfortable life, free of worry or panic. No reason to complain, right? WRONG.
For far too long I have convinced myself that safer is better and I allowed my fear of the world to keep me locked away in my tight little bubble. Sure, I had my friends and family to keep me company but even my friends have traveled a bit, even if only within the confines of The United States. Two of my siblings have traveled abroad and my youngest brother has been to the West Coast. I have only traveled as far as Florida and to be honest, I didn't really take advantage of my time there. Spending a month in Spain is going to be incredible. Even if it rains every day, I will find new things, new places, new opportunities to be an entirely different person and see the world from an entirely new angle. If I continue to allow my subconscious to control my actions, I will never experience life. I want to live, not just be alive!
Were it not for speaking Spanish I probably would have allowed my brain to prevent me from ever traveling anywhere in the world. I am thankful that my obsession for speaking a second language has granted me the confidence to take chances in my life. Sure, there is still that fear that I will get to Spain and my brain will freeze and suddenly all that vocabulary I have studied will be for nothing, but I have to overcome this ridiculous notion and have confidence in my abilities. I have to have confidence in myself! We all have fears but we all have the ability to conquer our fears as well. What fears are you overcoming to better your life? Is language learning a part of that? Let me know and we can talk soon!
Also, if you like my blog, maybe you could check this out!
For far too long I have convinced myself that safer is better and I allowed my fear of the world to keep me locked away in my tight little bubble. Sure, I had my friends and family to keep me company but even my friends have traveled a bit, even if only within the confines of The United States. Two of my siblings have traveled abroad and my youngest brother has been to the West Coast. I have only traveled as far as Florida and to be honest, I didn't really take advantage of my time there. Spending a month in Spain is going to be incredible. Even if it rains every day, I will find new things, new places, new opportunities to be an entirely different person and see the world from an entirely new angle. If I continue to allow my subconscious to control my actions, I will never experience life. I want to live, not just be alive!
Were it not for speaking Spanish I probably would have allowed my brain to prevent me from ever traveling anywhere in the world. I am thankful that my obsession for speaking a second language has granted me the confidence to take chances in my life. Sure, there is still that fear that I will get to Spain and my brain will freeze and suddenly all that vocabulary I have studied will be for nothing, but I have to overcome this ridiculous notion and have confidence in my abilities. I have to have confidence in myself! We all have fears but we all have the ability to conquer our fears as well. What fears are you overcoming to better your life? Is language learning a part of that? Let me know and we can talk soon!
Also, if you like my blog, maybe you could check this out!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Jumping In The Deep End
Officially, I've been studying Spanish since the Summer of 2008, but I have been surrounded by the language nearly my whole life. I took classes in high school and even before that I always had access to Spanish television on cable. I worked with Spanish speakers in my very first job and it was here that my passion for the language developed but when I look back on my early days of working, I see how many opportunities I really missed because I was too timid to talk.
Even to this day, confidence plays a huge role in being able to speak Spanish. I often realize, sometimes too late, that I actually know more than I give myself credit for and will many times shy away from speaking not because I don't know how to say something, but because there is that lingering doubt that maybe, just maybe, I'm not going to say the right thing. Fear in language learning is a silly thing and I attribute a great deal of the fear we feel to the way we are taught languages in school. Like every other subject we face, our language classes are based on a pass/fail grading system. I may very well have been able to carry on a conversation with ease even as far back as my days in high school, but because I was constantly being graded on using the correct verb tense or placing the accent mark over the proper vowel, my overall score wasn't nearly as high as I would have liked and it made me feel as if I wasn't successful in learning. This "failure" at learning left me feeling like I didn't really know the language and for that I didn't want to sound silly attempting to talk to native speakers. Although I may not know the solution to how we can improve our language learning classes, I will say that the way it is done now is simply not effective.
If I had the chance to go back and talk to my teenage self, I would tell myself to just talk. Jump right in and speak. Don't be afraid to use the present tense instead of the preterit, and don't worry if you use the "tu" form instead of the "usted" form. Sure, foreign language can be intimidating, but we can't just dip our toes in the water and hope for the best. If we're going to be successful, we need to jump in the deep end right from the start and learn to swim as we go. I've read countless forum posts debating the value of studying grammar first or memorizing hundreds of vocabulary words before ever uttering your first phrase. Now, I suppose if you're learning a foreign language for academic reasons, then by all means, study that grammar, but if you're like me, trying to simply learn how to talk to other people, who cares if you know why you say it that way as long as you know it's right, or even close enough.
Look, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my hobbies. When I first started out, I bought every book, studied every vocabulary word, hammered home every verb tense in an effort to be a Spanish speaking machine. I didn't just want to speak Spanish, I wanted to be a walking Spanish dictionary. Then it hit me. What's the point? Most of the Spanish speakers I come across will be just like me when it comes to English. Sure, I'm fluent in English, but that doesn't mean I am a walking dictionary or thesaurus. In fact, when it comes to English grammar, I struggle mightily, but that doesn't stop me from writing these endless blog posts!
We have to get over our fear and realize in the real world, outside academia, no one is judging us on how we speak. OK, no one wants to sound ignorant, which is why we ask for help along the way, but I would much rather learn as I go by talking with live people than sit at home with a grammar book all day long, never interacting with anyone. So do it. Jump in the deep end and start talking. Make mistakes. Sound silly. Ignore all those people who tell you you'll never get it. I think you'll find great satisfaction in the conversations you have.
Even to this day, confidence plays a huge role in being able to speak Spanish. I often realize, sometimes too late, that I actually know more than I give myself credit for and will many times shy away from speaking not because I don't know how to say something, but because there is that lingering doubt that maybe, just maybe, I'm not going to say the right thing. Fear in language learning is a silly thing and I attribute a great deal of the fear we feel to the way we are taught languages in school. Like every other subject we face, our language classes are based on a pass/fail grading system. I may very well have been able to carry on a conversation with ease even as far back as my days in high school, but because I was constantly being graded on using the correct verb tense or placing the accent mark over the proper vowel, my overall score wasn't nearly as high as I would have liked and it made me feel as if I wasn't successful in learning. This "failure" at learning left me feeling like I didn't really know the language and for that I didn't want to sound silly attempting to talk to native speakers. Although I may not know the solution to how we can improve our language learning classes, I will say that the way it is done now is simply not effective.
If I had the chance to go back and talk to my teenage self, I would tell myself to just talk. Jump right in and speak. Don't be afraid to use the present tense instead of the preterit, and don't worry if you use the "tu" form instead of the "usted" form. Sure, foreign language can be intimidating, but we can't just dip our toes in the water and hope for the best. If we're going to be successful, we need to jump in the deep end right from the start and learn to swim as we go. I've read countless forum posts debating the value of studying grammar first or memorizing hundreds of vocabulary words before ever uttering your first phrase. Now, I suppose if you're learning a foreign language for academic reasons, then by all means, study that grammar, but if you're like me, trying to simply learn how to talk to other people, who cares if you know why you say it that way as long as you know it's right, or even close enough.
Look, I am a perfectionist when it comes to my hobbies. When I first started out, I bought every book, studied every vocabulary word, hammered home every verb tense in an effort to be a Spanish speaking machine. I didn't just want to speak Spanish, I wanted to be a walking Spanish dictionary. Then it hit me. What's the point? Most of the Spanish speakers I come across will be just like me when it comes to English. Sure, I'm fluent in English, but that doesn't mean I am a walking dictionary or thesaurus. In fact, when it comes to English grammar, I struggle mightily, but that doesn't stop me from writing these endless blog posts!
We have to get over our fear and realize in the real world, outside academia, no one is judging us on how we speak. OK, no one wants to sound ignorant, which is why we ask for help along the way, but I would much rather learn as I go by talking with live people than sit at home with a grammar book all day long, never interacting with anyone. So do it. Jump in the deep end and start talking. Make mistakes. Sound silly. Ignore all those people who tell you you'll never get it. I think you'll find great satisfaction in the conversations you have.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Changing How You See Yourself
Anyone who has known me for more than say a day or so would probably describe me as a fairly quiet, rather tame individual who leans towards the more serious side than playful side on most occasions. While I am not always proud of it, I tend to be rather shy in social settings and gravitate away from the center of attention. It's not that I don't like to have fun or that I don't enjoy being around people, it's just that I am not always comfortable in the limelight. It's something I have been working on changing about who I am, but it's not always easy to simply change the person you have been since birth. Then again, what if you give birth to a new you?
OK, that sounds a little silly, and maybe even a little contradictory, but hear me out. I've noticed that as my level of fluency in Spanish has grown, so has my so-called Spanish personality. No, I don't jump out of a phone booth wearing a Mariachi hat nor do I suddenly start dancing the tango when I attempt to speak Spanish with a native speaker, however I do find that some of my actions and even the phrases I use are slightly uncharacteristic of the me who only speaks English. I didn't notice it immediately, but I found I felt much more daring or even risque when joking with some of my Spanish speaking employees. When I finally did see how my Spanish personality acted, I decided to sit down and figure out why it was I could suddenly liven up the room when using Spanish but I still hid in the shadows when speaking English.
First, and foremost, without a doubt, confidence plays a huge role in all of this. I may only know 25% of the Spanish language, compared to what I may know in English, so when I attempt to converse with a native speaker and all goes well, my confidence shoots through the roof. I get an adrenaline rush from my success and feel like I'm on top of the world. Suddenly, my jokes are funny, the ladies find me attractive, and I can order my burritos with extra hot sauce. I wish it were this simple when it came to speaking English, but unfortunately, I'm not breaking any new ground when I speak in my native language.
Getting that surge of confidence allows me to take a chance to try to say things in Spanish that maybe I'm not 100% sure about. Sure, I still make a lot of mistakes, but when I see that I am being understood, I just want to keep talking. I suppose the opposite is true if I really start stumbling along but usually once I get going, it's hard to stop. Of course that leads me to my other discovery. Sometimes, knowing less is actually more helpful. In English, I always want to say the perfect thing and often that leads me to hesitate when I speak or simply not speak at all. Any native English speaker knows there are a million different ways to say so many things. Well, since my vocabulary in Spanish is quite condensed, I only know how to say a lot of things in one way. To a native speaker I may sound silly, but to me, I'm getting my point across. I may not sound quite like my eloquent English speaking self when I am speaking Spanish, which I've decided just adds a little to my Spanish speaking personality.
Instead of worrying that I don't know enough or that I won't be understood, I have allowed myself to be comfortable using what I do know and that has really freed up my personality to come out and express itself a bit. As I said, it's a shame I can't do the same in English, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, I'll continue exploring the Spanish side of me and maybe someday it will teach the original me how to have some fun!
I'd love to know more about anyone else's foreign language personalities and if they have helped you come along as a second language speaker or even if it has helped your native speaking self! Keep me posted and I'll add more soon.
OK, that sounds a little silly, and maybe even a little contradictory, but hear me out. I've noticed that as my level of fluency in Spanish has grown, so has my so-called Spanish personality. No, I don't jump out of a phone booth wearing a Mariachi hat nor do I suddenly start dancing the tango when I attempt to speak Spanish with a native speaker, however I do find that some of my actions and even the phrases I use are slightly uncharacteristic of the me who only speaks English. I didn't notice it immediately, but I found I felt much more daring or even risque when joking with some of my Spanish speaking employees. When I finally did see how my Spanish personality acted, I decided to sit down and figure out why it was I could suddenly liven up the room when using Spanish but I still hid in the shadows when speaking English.
First, and foremost, without a doubt, confidence plays a huge role in all of this. I may only know 25% of the Spanish language, compared to what I may know in English, so when I attempt to converse with a native speaker and all goes well, my confidence shoots through the roof. I get an adrenaline rush from my success and feel like I'm on top of the world. Suddenly, my jokes are funny, the ladies find me attractive, and I can order my burritos with extra hot sauce. I wish it were this simple when it came to speaking English, but unfortunately, I'm not breaking any new ground when I speak in my native language.
Getting that surge of confidence allows me to take a chance to try to say things in Spanish that maybe I'm not 100% sure about. Sure, I still make a lot of mistakes, but when I see that I am being understood, I just want to keep talking. I suppose the opposite is true if I really start stumbling along but usually once I get going, it's hard to stop. Of course that leads me to my other discovery. Sometimes, knowing less is actually more helpful. In English, I always want to say the perfect thing and often that leads me to hesitate when I speak or simply not speak at all. Any native English speaker knows there are a million different ways to say so many things. Well, since my vocabulary in Spanish is quite condensed, I only know how to say a lot of things in one way. To a native speaker I may sound silly, but to me, I'm getting my point across. I may not sound quite like my eloquent English speaking self when I am speaking Spanish, which I've decided just adds a little to my Spanish speaking personality.
Instead of worrying that I don't know enough or that I won't be understood, I have allowed myself to be comfortable using what I do know and that has really freed up my personality to come out and express itself a bit. As I said, it's a shame I can't do the same in English, but I'm working on it. In the meantime, I'll continue exploring the Spanish side of me and maybe someday it will teach the original me how to have some fun!
I'd love to know more about anyone else's foreign language personalities and if they have helped you come along as a second language speaker or even if it has helped your native speaking self! Keep me posted and I'll add more soon.
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