Look Outside of the Language

Jun 12,2015

Bilingualism sounds like a fun quality to have: ability to communicate with more people, your brain is bigger, you can even know twice as many jokes without learning new ones! Doing the work though is much harder than I imagined – sometimes my brain gets confused in two languages and my mouth spits out a mess of Spanglish that my teachers can’t help but laugh at.

 

Undertaking any new language will mean one day your brain will hit a wall. Some may know what I am talking about; others if not, your wall is coming for you(dun dun dun).  It is what discourages some to quit, which does no good, and others know the struggle as I do to get over that wall. Stop focusing on all the words and grammar rules for a moment. Instead begin looking into the culture and outside of the language.

 

What motivates me on my Spanish-speaking journey is my goal of traveling to Spain. When I first hit my wall in Spanish, I start listening to Spanish music. When I hit my second major wall in my Spanish literature class, I started reading Harry Potter in Spanish. With all my struggles, I learned so much about the Spanish culture that I adore. It has kept me going.

 

Whether you are in it for the language, culture, or travel, there are so many aspects of Spain. Since high school I’ve had many friends travel to Spain. I’ve recently re-interviewed a few of them in order to paint a true-to-experience picture.

 

No matter where you go, explore your city. Go everywhere. Take pictures too! There are beautiful sights to been seen everywhere you are whether it is an amazing overlook spot, the eye-catching artwork and architecture, or sparking ocean waters. Leave a couple days for wandering to the souls content on the agenda. From las discotecas to los museos, España has so much to offer it’s explorers.

 

Spain has many layers of history, so while you are there enjoying the modern day cities and art, consider Spain’s golden age, El Siglo de Oro (1492-1659). Spain contributed to world history: discovering and settling many parts of the then New World, and contributing to the humanities like art, music, and literature. Columbus may have walked where you are/will be walking. Vasquez and Cervantes created genius pieces and made their marks on the world, but their humble beginnings started in Spain. Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega dug out the groundwork for Spanish literature, frequently compared to William Shakespeare. So many greats found their first inspiration there. I apologize for completely geeking out but it completely inspires me just writing about it. I cannot wait until I make it to Spain.

 

If nothing else, at least hit your basics, one of the two: soccer game or bullfight. From everything I have heard soccer games are for everyone, even if you say you’re not a sports person. The energy is brilliantly ballistic like nothing else. It’s more a patriotic experience with the Spanish culture than a sporting event, truly. It may not be for everyone, but bullfighting goes way back in Spanish culture. Although personally I will say it is not my cup of tea, however it is an unforgettable and true to culture experience that many people enjoy.

 

As far as local-insider tips go this is what I’ve got: In Spanish, AM and PM do not exist. Military time is used. It would not be 6:00pm it will be 18:00. I was watching a movie in Spanish once and looked at the clock in the background. I thought it was a breakthrough at the time so I figured it might be useful to others. This way if you’re asking for the time you know what to expect. Also if you are in it for the language and begin doubting your Spanish abilities, DON’T! There are different regions in Spain where different dialects of Spanish are spoken, for example in Catalonia the Catalan dialect of Spanish is spoken. It is like how in the United States, in the South there is a southern accent, in New York there is a New York accent, but it is still English.

 

To all those traveling to Spain soon looking for information I wish you good luck in your travels and feel free to email me any questions you have! I might be able to point you in the right direction. For those just looking for some information about culture I hope you have found what you are looking for. Inspiration comes in many ways and I fell in love with the Spanish culture. It has fueled my studies of the Spanish language along with the longing to travel Spain one day. Best of luck in all your endeavors whether they are bilingual or not and please email me at [email protected] with any questions or comments!

 

Photo: Me playing Bananagrams en Español

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Look Outside of the Language

 Look Outside of the Language

Look Outside of the Language

Look Outside of the Language

Bilingualism sounds like a fun quality to have: ability to communicate with more people, your brain is bigger, you can even know twice as many jokes without learning new ones! Doing the work though is much harder than I imagined – sometimes my brain gets confused in two languages and my mouth spits out a mess of Spanglish that my teachers can’t help but laugh at.

 

Undertaking any new language will mean one day your brain will hit a wall. Some may know what I am talking about; others if not, your wall is coming for you(dun dun dun).  It is what discourages some to quit, which does no good, and others know the struggle as I do to get over that wall. Stop focusing on all the words and grammar rules for a moment. Instead begin looking into the culture and outside of the language.

 

What motivates me on my Spanish-speaking journey is my goal of traveling to Spain. When I first hit my wall in Spanish, I start listening to Spanish music. When I hit my second major wall in my Spanish literature class, I started reading Harry Potter in Spanish. With all my struggles, I learned so much about the Spanish culture that I adore. It has kept me going.

 

Whether you are in it for the language, culture, or travel, there are so many aspects of Spain. Since high school I’ve had many friends travel to Spain. I’ve recently re-interviewed a few of them in order to paint a true-to-experience picture.

 

No matter where you go, explore your city. Go everywhere. Take pictures too! There are beautiful sights to been seen everywhere you are whether it is an amazing overlook spot, the eye-catching artwork and architecture, or sparking ocean waters. Leave a couple days for wandering to the souls content on the agenda. From las discotecas to los museos, España has so much to offer it’s explorers.

 

Spain has many layers of history, so while you are there enjoying the modern day cities and art, consider Spain’s golden age, El Siglo de Oro (1492-1659). Spain contributed to world history: discovering and settling many parts of the then New World, and contributing to the humanities like art, music, and literature. Columbus may have walked where you are/will be walking. Vasquez and Cervantes created genius pieces and made their marks on the world, but their humble beginnings started in Spain. Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega dug out the groundwork for Spanish literature, frequently compared to William Shakespeare. So many greats found their first inspiration there. I apologize for completely geeking out but it completely inspires me just writing about it. I cannot wait until I make it to Spain.

 

If nothing else, at least hit your basics, one of the two: soccer game or bullfight. From everything I have heard soccer games are for everyone, even if you say you’re not a sports person. The energy is brilliantly ballistic like nothing else. It’s more a patriotic experience with the Spanish culture than a sporting event, truly. It may not be for everyone, but bullfighting goes way back in Spanish culture. Although personally I will say it is not my cup of tea, however it is an unforgettable and true to culture experience that many people enjoy.

 

As far as local-insider tips go this is what I’ve got: In Spanish, AM and PM do not exist. Military time is used. It would not be 6:00pm it will be 18:00. I was watching a movie in Spanish once and looked at the clock in the background. I thought it was a breakthrough at the time so I figured it might be useful to others. This way if you’re asking for the time you know what to expect. Also if you are in it for the language and begin doubting your Spanish abilities, DON’T! There are different regions in Spain where different dialects of Spanish are spoken, for example in Catalonia the Catalan dialect of Spanish is spoken. It is like how in the United States, in the South there is a southern accent, in New York there is a New York accent, but it is still English.

 

To all those traveling to Spain soon looking for information I wish you good luck in your travels and feel free to email me any questions you have! I might be able to point you in the right direction. For those just looking for some information about culture I hope you have found what you are looking for. Inspiration comes in many ways and I fell in love with the Spanish culture. It has fueled my studies of the Spanish language along with the longing to travel Spain one day. Best of luck in all your endeavors whether they are bilingual or not and please email me at [email protected] with any questions or comments!

 

Photo: Me playing Bananagrams en Español