It's Not A Race

This afternoon I finished reading* the first book of the Game of Thrones series that has become so popular worldwide.  I don't watch the television show, although I have seen a few episodes here and there, and my interest in the book was rooted in the fact that I was able to purchase it written in Spanish, not that I am a big fan of fantasy novels.  That being said, I enjoyed it and I am proud to have completed it, as it is over 700 pages long.  Now, I should probably add that I purchased the book well over a year ago, possibly closer to two years ago.  Why has it taken me so long to finish?  Well, I suppose the first reason is that, like I said, I am not a huge fantasy fiction fan.  I didn't read hundreds of pages at once, and I would often go weeks without reading it at all.  The second reason it took me so long is, well, it was hard!

Game  of Thrones is not the first novel I have read in Spanish, but it is the longest and most difficult novel I have attempted to this point.  That's why when I say I finished reading it, I put an *.  Yes, I read the words on the pages, and yes, I comprehended the plot, but did I understand every word?  Of course not.  Were there times I read entire pages and realized I hadn't understood a single word of it?  Surely.  I even cheated a few times and went online to view plot summaries just to make sure I really was following along with the plot.  Despite some difficulties, I am proud to say I followed along very well.

In a moment of exaggerated optimism, I purchased the second novel many months ago and made it one of the few books I was able to pack in my bags when I moved to Spain.  I plan on starting it this afternoon, but with a better plan of attack in mind.  This time around, I want to really focus on learning as I go, so I plan on reading only one chapter at a time, but focusing on picking out words and phrases I don't know and adding them to my list to study.  As they say, slow and steady wins the race and while it may take me just as long, if not longer to complete this novel, I am hoping to get more out of it than I did from the first.  Sure, I managed to finish the first novel, but was I successful in learning much from it?  That's debatable.

I think too often, especially when it comes to languages, we try to move too fast too soon.  I know, I was right there in the beginning, trying to cram as many new vocabulary words as I could into my head, but the fact is, it's not a race.  Learning a language should be fun, and it shouldn't have a finish line.  Sure, it's great to have goals, but what's going to happen if you DON'T memorize 500 new words in six months?  So what if after two years you can only use the present tense of the verbs?  No one is going to come and punish you.  You're not a failure just because it takes a little longer to finish reading your first novel in a foreign language.  I think goals are great.  In fact, I think they're crucial, but we shouldn't be disappointed in ourselves if we fail to hit the mark each time.  I see so many posts of people who are disappointed for not hitting such and such goal in such and such time.  Instead of lamenting over what you haven't accomplished, why not celebrate what you have?  Just my thoughts.  Anyone else?

What Voice Do We Listen To?

One of the biggest boosts in confidence I have had when it comes to speaking Spanish is social media.  Ever since I started dedicating my time to improving my Spanish, I have tried to use social media as a way to boost my confidence and give me the kick I needed to keep going when the going got tough.  I have discovered websites, such as The Mixxer that offer free search engines to reach out to other language learners and in turn we are able to use tools such as Skype to set up intercambios where we can take turns practicing our second or even third languages.

I have found Facebook groups who love to discuss learning Spanish, and countless YouTube videos that offer lessons and advice on how to improve your language skills.  All in all, I have found that reaching out to others is a great way to find the inspiration, motivation, and confidence to push on when I find myself in a rut.  Unfortunately, there are also negative aspects of social media.  There are those who find pleasure in bringing others down.  Instead of inspiring, they discourage, ridicule, and belittle those that are seeking positive reinforcement.  Fortunately for me, I have not come across all that many of these individuals, although I have heard plenty of stories from others.  I do my best to ignore those who thrive on negative energy, and when I do stumble across someone who wants to bring me down, I find ways to ignore and avoid that person.

All that being said, there is one voice I have found that is nearly impossible to ignore.  Despite my very best efforts, there seems to always be a way for this one voice to get to me.  That voice is the voice inside my head, and I have discovered recently that I am not the only one affected by my own worst thoughts.  My point in mentioning social media before introducing this topic was that it was on Facebook that I discovered just how overpowering ones inner voice can be, even when surrounded by positive energy.  While I have found encouragement from others to be a great motivator, sometimes all the encouragement in the world won't help if you allow your inner thoughts to bring you down.  I have seen posts from individuals who have nothing but negative things to say about themselves.  Despite all the encouragement the other members of the group try to offer, there seems to be no hope in changing their negative self outlook.  It bothers me greatly to see this, as the only person standing in their way from excelling is themselves.  I have learned from my own experience, we are our own worst critic.  If we allow ourselves to accept our own criticisms, we will never be able to advance.  Yes, it takes confidence to go out there and speak in a foreign language, but we have to overcome our own insecurities, our own self doubt, and take a very scary leap forward.  Yes, it's frightening, but we can all do it.  This was something I had to teach myself, but I also owe a lot of thanks to those who encouraged me along the way.

So, in the end, don't be afraid to reach out to those on social media for encouragement, but more importantly, don't be afraid to be your own positive motivator.  Don't let your inner voice scare you.  Challenge yourself and be positive.  Negative thoughts will get you nowhere.  Who's with me?

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.

Final Thoughts

With just five days before I make my way back to the United States, I thought I would take some time to reflect on what I have accomplished, what I missed out on, and what I would and would not change about my journey.

First of all, I have to say I don't regret anything about this trip.  Even with the things that didn't quite work out the way I had hoped, I still feel accomplished in the sense that I was able to make this trip all on my own, and every step of the way was a learning experience.

My primary goal was simply to spend as much time speaking the Spanish language as I could.  In that regard, I did not speak as much as I had hoped, and that was my own fault for not engaging more people in conversation.  It turns out being shy travels with you to foreign countries.  That being said, I am proud of the few brief conversations I did have.  I realized that I can maintain a conversation with any Spanish speaking person out there, and while I may not know every possible word in the Spanish dictionary, I know how to move along without killing the entire conversation.  What can I take away from this?  Well, I have been inspired to talk more with my friends and colleagues back home who do speak Spanish.  Now that I know I can do it here in Spain, I have no reason not to continue practicing in the US.

As far as being a member of the community, well that was difficult as I was staying in a neighborhood full of a variety of ethnicity's that weren't Spanish.  I heard many different languages throughout my stay, and I certainly don't regret staying here, but unfortunately, it kind of hampered my progress more than it helped.  I saw basically all the major sites I wanted to see, but I avoided restaurants which was my own personal choice.  Mostly the problem was that locally, all the restaurants served Indian food, not authentic Spanish dishes.  I felt uncomfortable eating alone, so I basically bought all my meals at the supermarket and ate in the apartment.

So what would I change about this adventure?  Well, next time, I would like to have a travel partner.  I specifically did not want anyone here with me this time, as I needed to be able to survive on my own for a month, but now that I have done it, I think it would be nice to have someone come along with me.  I would still insist on the Spanish only rule, but it would make it easier to do some of the social things I missed out on this time around.  Also, I don't think I would choose to stay an entire month unless I could plan a lot more to do.  I felt a month was important this time around as I needed to have a time of adjustment before I could really dive in.  Now that I know what to expect, two to three weeks would be plenty.

I think Madrid is beautiful and I could certainly see myself staying here again, but it might also be nice to see other parts of the country.  Again, my purpose was more to practice talking than it was to go exploring, but now that I have dipped my toes in the water, it might be fun to see other places.

So did I have to spend a month in a foreign country in order to perfect my use of the language?  Of course not, and I knew that all along.  I was curious to see how my level would progress and I do think that despite my hesitation, I have picked up a bit here and there simply by listening to how others speak.  One thing I have learned about my Spanish is that I clearly understand Latin American Spanish better than the Spanish spoken here in Spain.  In fact, that might be one reason to be hesitant to travel to other parts of the country, as other regions have their own distinct accents.  Since I don't think I'll be returning anytime too soon, I am content knowing I have a firm grasp on Latin American Spanish.  That will obviously be more beneficial to me at home.

I'm ready to go home, but I am certainly happy, and more importantly, proud with all I have seen and done.  I imagine my next post will be coming to you from the United States.  Talk to you soon.

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?

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!

The Great Classroom Debate

Over and over again, I read about students who are immensely frustrated with the language learning classes in their schools.  Why is it that classrooms seem to deaden the desire to learn among young people?  Schools are meant to be the places we send our children to learn and grow into adults but often I find the reviews to be abysmal.  Students are uninspired by the curriculum and become reticent, especially when it comes to learning a foreign language, leading to failure to learn more than some basic vocabulary and the very simplest ways to communicate.  I find it hard to blame the students in this case, as I too as a student found my Spanish classes to be either boring or at times overwhelming with the various grammatical topics we covered.  I was a good student, however if I was not inspired to learn, it was very easy to shut myself off and stubbornly refuse to learn.  I couldn't find the right place for accent marks or often I conjugated the verbs incorrectly, making me feel foolish which pushed me further down into my shell.  The more confused I became, the more I shut myself off from learning.  So how is it that now, fifteen years later I am not only enamored with the language, but I find it easy to learn?  It all has to do with inspiration, motivation, and the desire to learn.

I love learning, but that does not mean I loved my time in school.  As I said, often school can be boring, methodical, and entirely uninspiring.  My whole attitude towards learning Spanish changed when I found myself surrounded by native Spanish speakers who I desperately wanted or needed to communicate with.  I learned how to talk, which goes well beyond memorizing vocabulary lists or learning how to conjugate verbs.  Yes, those things are critical when it comes to learning a language, even in your own native tongue, but there has to be more to it than that if you want a student to retain the information.  When I started learning why we said things in Spanish the way we did, it all started to click.  When I heard native speakers talking, I started to understand where to place the accents.

Tell me something and I'll forget it.  Show me something and I'll understand it.  Practice it with me, and I'll be able to do it.  Classrooms simply do not offer enough practical usage of the language to teach a student how to speak effectively with another person.  Sure, after a few months, anyone can ask the basic survival questions we all learn when first taking on a new language, but how many students can actually talk to another person in that language?  I'm not suggesting we can teach complete fluency in a matter of four or five school years, but if we start emphasizing communicating over rote memorization, I think we'll start to see a tremendous change, not only in the success rates of the students, but in the overall satisfaction the students get out of gaining a skill such as speaking a second language.  Being able to conjugate verbs is boring, but being able to use a skill in my everyday life is fun, and when it becomes fun, it is not a chore to learn.  Clearly not every student is going to fall in love with foreign languages, as I was never one to fall in love with, say, chemistry.  We can, however, make learning more fun and find ways to encourage those who will fall in love with language learning.  I wish I could find a way to work with public schools to improve foreign language classes.  Should anyone have any suggestions, send them my way!