About / Sobre
Information from students currently studying the Spanish language.
From a young age I was interested in languages. I studied French in high school and German in college. I always wanted to be multilingual.
I was an A student in French class, always doing my homework, participating in class and studying for tests. But ask me to speak outside of class, forget it. Ask me what I retained one year out of school … nada.
In college I was even more excited and determined. And without knowing it, I stumbled into some ways to learn more effectively. By my third year I gave short presentations in class, and although I didn’t know the correct way to describe what was happening, I realized the power of repetition, personal connection and recall.
Some years after college, I had the opportunity to take American Sign Language classes at a local School for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired. This experience was powerful. My teacher, who was deaf, mute and had peripheral vision loss, taught our class to have basic conversation skills in three months. How? Daily practice, practical/useful topics, and immersion (as there was only one way, as students, we could communicate with our teacher).
After decades of a full-time career, I have started a new chapter in life: I now have the time and energy to revisit my dream of being multilingual. Finally, I would be able to speak another language, and meet and interact with non-English speaking people in the world. Imagine that.
So, what language would I start with? Spanish. Why? While French, German, ASL, as well as Icelandic and Mandarin, are all on the list, I chose Spanish because of the number of people who speak it in the world, and so I could speak and interact with people in my community. How cool would that be?!? And … spoiler alert … it’s even cooler than I thought.
My Spanish language journey started with a 1-hour class once a week at a local Spanish school for adults. The following year I attended the Spanish summer language program at Middlebury College. More years of weekly classes followed, supplemented by an immersion camp at Concordia College, and then I began traveling to Spanish speaking countries with my local school. I still take weekly classes. I work to have daily exposure to the language, including practicing listening comprehension, recalling new vocabulary and idioms, listening to music, and interacting with friends and neighbors in my community. My friends and I practice weekly together. We now plan our own trips to attend schools abroad, visiting cultural sites and using our Spanish.
Throughout this language journey I have learned a lot from teachers, professors, tutors, fellow students, tour guides, taxi drivers, and other locals while traveling. My friends are in the same boat. Our goal is to share this information with you to help you with your study of the Spanish language.
Buena suerte,
-Carol & Friends
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