Before ever visiting a foreign country, I had always heard the infamous phrase, "If you just live in fill-in-the-blank country for a few months you'll pick up the fill-in-the-blank language like that *insert snap of the finger.*"
So in the summer of 2008 I headed off to the Càdiz (Spain) with five courses of college Spanish under my belt. I was going to live with a Spanish family and take Spanish classes at the university. Knowing I'd be "immersed in the culture," I went to Cádiz assuming that by the end of my five weeks there I'd be spitting out Spanish as fluently as Ricky Ricardo in one of his tirades. I just imagined my brain like a monolingual sponge tossed into a sea of ñ's and trilled r's, soaking up Spanish with little conscious effort.
But within a week of my stay, instead of soaking in this Spanish sea, I found myself sinking.
I realized that learning language involves more than just diving into a new culture. It requires constant listening, deciphering, practice, and trial and error. Living in a foreign country certainly does speed up the process. But it acts more as a catalyst--not a shortcut.
Even after living here in Murcia for a year and pico, I still learn a new word, phrase, or grammar rule every day. Granted, the recent additions to my vocabulary and grammar are getting more complex. But the point is, I'm still consciously pausing my brain to learn something new. Recently, the inherent educator within me started to reflect on my progress in Spanish and how I would learn it a day at a time.
At first I started out with a journal, writing down all the new words and phrases I learned...
Then later in the year, my former British roommate Ellie moved in and we started a list of words we had heard or looked up each day...
After she moved out, without the accountability I let my version of Palabra del Día slide...
But in the fall I enrolled in a university Spanish course which really forced me to learn...
And now I keep a daily calendar on my desk of the famous Argentine comic cartoon character in the Spanish world, Mafalda. As I read each day's comic, any phrases or words that I don't know or understand go straight into www.wordreference.com and back into the calendar with my handwritten explanation...
Over the years and months I've found ways for my brain to soak and swim at the same time.
My advice to a guiri: Find a routine that keeps you motivated to learn a little Spanish every day. Poco a poco goes a long way.
So in the summer of 2008 I headed off to the Càdiz (Spain) with five courses of college Spanish under my belt. I was going to live with a Spanish family and take Spanish classes at the university. Knowing I'd be "immersed in the culture," I went to Cádiz assuming that by the end of my five weeks there I'd be spitting out Spanish as fluently as Ricky Ricardo in one of his tirades. I just imagined my brain like a monolingual sponge tossed into a sea of ñ's and trilled r's, soaking up Spanish with little conscious effort.
But within a week of my stay, instead of soaking in this Spanish sea, I found myself sinking.
I realized that learning language involves more than just diving into a new culture. It requires constant listening, deciphering, practice, and trial and error. Living in a foreign country certainly does speed up the process. But it acts more as a catalyst--not a shortcut.
Even after living here in Murcia for a year and pico, I still learn a new word, phrase, or grammar rule every day. Granted, the recent additions to my vocabulary and grammar are getting more complex. But the point is, I'm still consciously pausing my brain to learn something new. Recently, the inherent educator within me started to reflect on my progress in Spanish and how I would learn it a day at a time.
At first I started out with a journal, writing down all the new words and phrases I learned...
Then later in the year, my former British roommate Ellie moved in and we started a list of words we had heard or looked up each day...
After she moved out, without the accountability I let my version of Palabra del Día slide...
And now I keep a daily calendar on my desk of the famous Argentine comic cartoon character in the Spanish world, Mafalda. As I read each day's comic, any phrases or words that I don't know or understand go straight into www.wordreference.com and back into the calendar with my handwritten explanation...
Over the years and months I've found ways for my brain to soak and swim at the same time.
My advice to a guiri: Find a routine that keeps you motivated to learn a little Spanish every day. Poco a poco goes a long way.
2 comments:
I think that's exactly what you have to do. I just ordered the DELE study book (well, not the book, a book). Here goes nothin'!
Suerte! Language tests and courses stress me out. Hope it goes well! Keep us updated!
Post a Comment