My very first exposure to languages was in Middle School when we were all assigned to take one semester of both Spanish and German (in a small, rural high school, there were not many choices). Technically my roots are in German and my grandfather still can speak and understand a form of Pennsylvania Dutch, but I was always more drawn to Spanish for its practical use. During high school, my teacher was recently interested in the TPR (total physical response) approach and also using a lot of songs, videos, etc to make learning Spanish more interesting. Looking back now, I think learning some of these methods and strategies has really helped me to continue language learning on my own. I also participated in a 2 week trip to Spain with the Spanish club during one summer. The moment that I saw words in print, on billboards, etc. that I recognized or was able to answer basic questions sparked a feeling in me like no other type of learning.
In college, I pursued Spanish as a second major, even though it was my most difficult subject material. I had a dream of traveling, and Spanish seemed to be my ticket to doing that. During my junior year, I decided to study abroad in La Plata, Argentina. This was my first real test in utilizing my Spanish and really taking it to the next level. I wish now, however, that I had better memories or had better documented my learning during this time. My recommendation to anyone learning a language now would be to tape record yourself at various stages of learning a language (which I too will do when I learn a third language). I would love to have a tape version hearing myself with an Argentine Spanish accent because this is something that I can’t even mimic now. The only thing I remember about learning Spanish in Argentina was that I forced myself to think in Spanish as often as possible. Walking down the street, I would describe everything around me using whatever words I had in Spanish. It was this training of my mind to think in a new language is what I truly accredit to my mastery of Spanish. From there it was just a matter of acquiring more vocabulary and improving grammar.
After I came home from Argentina, I was finally confident and excited to use my Spanish and looked for every opportunity to do so. I worked, volunteered, and did internships to continue using Spanish in my community. I also became turned on to Latin American history and politics and remember the excitement and passion that my professor of Latin American history had for the subject that made me want to find out more. Through my experience in Argentina, I also now had a much broader base of authentic (and interesting) materials to use to practice Spanish. Learning Spanish for me now was not just reading Garcia Lorca in a literature class, but meant listening to and learning the latest Shakira lyrics on my own time and reading Latina authors such as Esmerelda Santiago in their native language.
Using Spanish in the US was a whole new experience. I now possessed an ability that many around me did not have and I could be the link between people who spoke different languages. I continued to pursue employment where I could utilize my Spanish abilities and eventually went on to spend a summer in Mexico at a volunteer project with other Mexicans and then to a year of post-grad study at a University in Spanish. By that point, I did not need to think much about using Spanish and was able to float between languages easily.
Now that I have gotten to a comfortable level in a second language, I am interested in learning a third. When I am around other language speakers, I often try to learn at least a few words and am amazed at how difficult I find it to remember even those few words. If the language is one of the romance languages, I find myself floating back into Spanish since that is my default language. In order to learn a third language, I think I will need to employ some of the techniques that helped me learn Spanish, but also employ new methods and make a new space in my mind for a third language and new way of thinking.
