Quiero aprender Espanol…
So I started my language learning journey in 2019. With all that was happening then, one might wonder why? So here goes. They say you start feeling old when you start to realize it. At the age of 29 years old, I found myself feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything in all my time in this mundane atmosphere. So I sat down and I made a list. A list of all the things I wanted to do, but never got the chance to: traveling Latin America and Europe, learning another language, visiting Machu Picchu, completing my Master’s degree, and on the way to finishing the Ph.D. One would say the joke is on me because I am yet to complete either of these. Have you ever had a plan for your life ever since you were young and no matter how you spin it nothing seems to work out according to your timeline? This was my life. This was my trajectory falling apart. At that moment I decided I need to do something I could control in my now tiny space, so I took to starting my language journey. And not only that, to motivate myself I sought out and made arrangements to go to Peru. I was on a roll. I was gonna finally mark something off my list. I started learning Spanish and I even met, spoke with, and became friends with a few Spanish speakers around the world. I started out ok. I was understanding and I was really getting into the culture as I had so much love for the people. Then I started feeling myself lose interest in the learning and I got complacent in the idea that I speak a language everyone wanted to learn; a language that no matter where I go will be understood by at least one person; a language that rendered all other languages powerless. This complacency made me feel dirty; undeserved of the beauty of learning and speaking another language. So I recollected, went back to the beginning, and tried to understand my initial reason…and the truth is…I love culture. I love history. I love people and the only way to truly immerse myself into another’s culture, history, and love for the people is to become a part of them. To learn their language and not just the physical aspect of words and phrases but to understand who they are and who they want to be. My language learning journey has therefore been rekindled and continues to burn with a bright torch that will grant me fulfillment and abundance through the love and acceptance of the people who lavishly embrace their native tongue.
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