Yo he regresado
Or how I spent my summer vacation
This is my first day back in the office after four weeks in Guatemala. The first three weeks I was in Queztaltenango, also known as Xela, in the western highlands of Guatemala. I lived with a non-English speaking family, spent five hours a day receiving individualized instruction and spent my afternoons studying Spanish. The last week I spent with my husband, practicing my Spanish when he wasn’t piping up in Italian, and touring Mayan ruins.
With all that new information being poured into my brain, some of it stuck. Here’s what I learned
My spoken Spanish has improved, particularly when it comes to discussing simple matters like my family, where I live, what I want to eat and the weather. Explaining my profession is trickier. And if you think explaining what a business communicator is while speaking English, try doing it in Spanish (or another language that is not your native language.)
I can participate in more complex discussions if I am not doing the majority of the talking.
I can read the newspaper and novels in Spanish. An unfortunate side effect is that today I found myself reading Spanish spam just to test myself.
My writing in Spanish has improved as well, though it takes me a looooooong time to do it.
I have gained enormous sympathy for non-native English speakers–why it may take them awhile to verbalize their ideas and why their syntax may not be the same as a native speakers.
I also have renewed respect for anyone who learns a second (or third or fourth) language. It’s a process that requires some time and work. I know that I have more work to do.
Those, I think, are my language lessons. I will pass on my lessons about Guatemala tomorrow.