Do You Speak Spanish?
“Do you speak Spanish?”
What a question. My answer usually varies, falling somewhere along the lines of “well, I took it all throughout high school,” or, “I can understand it better than I can speak it.” Can I really say I speak a language if the main part of my education in it took place in Overland Park, Kansas, a nice suburban town right smack in the middle of the continental US? For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go to Spain, or anywhere Spanish-speaking, so as to get immersed in the culture and truly be able to learn the language as it is meant to be learned. And now, suddenly, I am less than a week away from going there. When I got the email a few days ago telling me the name and address of my homestay for the trip, my dialogue shifted from being a cool thing I’d be doing this summer to this unbelievable thing I’ll be doing on Saturday! I know the time of my dialogue will fly by in the same way, so I have decided to set a few goals for myself to ensure I do not let it slip away unfulfilled.
First of all, I want to make meaningful connections with the people around me. Not only will I hopefully become closer with the other students going on my trip, but also I cannot wait to connect with the local people, especially in Seville, since I will be there the longest. The fact that I will be in a homestay for those first few weeks was daunting at first, as I was nervous about the constant Spanish speaking, but now I am so glad it is happening. I will be able to experience an authentic Spanish home, and truly feel part of the community of Seville.
Next, I want to communicate as much as possible and improve my Spanish. In grade school I was the girl with the frequent “wish she’d speak up more” written on her progress reports, but I know that in Spain I will have to speak up in order to thrive. I am not really afraid of making mistakes with my Spanish, as I know it would be impossible to avoid doing so. I am, however, afraid that I will be discouraged by those mistakes so that I stop putting myself out there. The moment I decide to play it safe rather than take a chance and risk messing up is the moment I close myself off to new experiences. The whole point of this dialogue is to be exposed, to be embarrassed, but to have fun and be all right with that.
Finally, I want to just enjoy the time I will have on my dialogue. Five and a half weeks, or thirty-nine days—that’s thirty-nine mornings to wake up and know that I am on this amazing adventure. I know I will get tired, discouraged, and a little bit homesick at some points along the way, but the fact that I will be in Spain, experiencing a culture and environment completely different from what I have known in the past, will outweigh any of those feelings.
I cannot believe that in a few short days I will be on a plane across the Atlantic. I hope to make lifelong friends, extraordinary memories, and experience what it’s like to be a Spaniard for a few weeks. So, when I return home, and someone asks me if I speak Spanish, I hope to be further on my way to confidently saying one little word: yes!
