I geek out about languages. I could talk about the way we talk for hours, and if you know me I may have already exhausted your interest in this subject. Languages can show us how different cultures think, reason, and process information. The different words, tones and sounds reflect centuries upon centuries of history and cultural movements, and can reveal so much about a people group. Some languages are more closely related than others and the ones with similar roots fascinate me. I love being in Romania because while I can’t really understand a sentence being thrown at me, I can read some signs and catch a few words here and there because I know English and spanish and all three languages have Latin roots. My squadmate and soul sister Vivi is trilingual (I know, #goals) and her native language is Portuguese. Therefore, she has TWO other Romance language vocabularies to compare to the Romanian she hears and reads each day and can deduce much more than I can. How cool is that?!?
I also love hearing how nonnative English speakers speak English. I have learned so much about Spanish by hearing English from native Spanish speakers. When you learn a new language your brain does whatever it can in order to get an idea across. You tend to directly translate thoughts word by word until you’ve had more exposure to the language and better understand sentence structure, expressions and regional vocabulary.
For example, what I heard a lot from my ESL students back in Texas was “where is the car” instead of “where the car is.” By hearing more than one person make this error, I deduced that a Spanish speaker’s brain isn’t wired to think about the subject of the sentence in the order my English brain does. I found that if I wanted to say that same phrase in English I wouldn’t say “Donde el carro está.” I would need to say “Donde está el carro.” I just think that is so neat.
BRAINS ARE COOL. And the more you learn about a language the more you learn about a culture and the people who speak it, which in turn has led me to have more empathy for that culture. BONUS: you begin to question the meaning behind phrases, expressions and idiosyncrasies of your own language and realize that words are weird and hard and unique.
“Ok, Katie, we get it. Words and how they are ordered and spoken are interesting to you. Why are you writing a blog about it?”
EXCELLENT QUESTION!
Now you know a tiny bit about my love for languages in general, now let me speak a little bit to my love of Spanish.
My earliest memories of Spanish were in my 2nd grade Montessori class. We had lessons once a week and I remember learning the colors and numbers. My dad would proudly have me recite the numbers 1-10 in front of guests who were sure to be astounded by his genius child. (Of course if it was Christmas time I’d be singing Feliz Navidad instead)
So, being well-versed in the complicated vocabulary of the colors and numbers, I began my formal study of Spanish in 9th grade. I took it each year of high school because it wasn’t terribly difficult for me and I figured more foreign language courses were better in terms of college applications. I also had incredible teachers who challenged me and made learning a language very enjoyable.
I didn’t take Spanish in college because I ignorantly thought, “well, I’m never going to live in Latin America or Spain so why would I use up the limited space I have in my schedule with Spanish?” I know. Ignorant. So I didn’t consider using it until I kind of unintentionally started using it in my job in Texas five years later. I still had my vocabulary intact but had never spoken it much or had to listen to it from native speakers. The AmeriCorps program I was working for at the time had a need for bilingual reading tutors and I was encouraged to transition to teaching reading in Spanish. God gets allllllll the glory on this one. I began to see it, hear it and use it everyday at work and even outside of work if I was being intentional about it. I was blessed with coworkers and supervisors who could answer my very specific questions and help me understand what Google couldn’t. I was able to practice with my young students and wasn’t fearful or embarrassed of making mistakes in front of them.
God then gave me a job where I was one of the only spanish speakers on staff with a growing client base of Spanish speakers. Even though I wasn’t comfortable conversing with adults yet, I was continually encouraged by my leadership that what I had was so much better than nothing.
And so my love of Spanish was born. I had been teaching students who lived in the US but used Spanish in their homes. I had clients who had come to the US from Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cuba, all speaking the same language but with different accents, inflections, and varied vocabularies. I learned firsthand about the struggles of being a single mom in a foreign place, with the added stressor of having to learn a new language. I learned about food and cultural customs and the similarities and differences between myself and my Hispanic friends. And I loved loved loved it.
Starting the World Race in South America was the biggest blessing to me. It was my first time being immersed in Spanish and I felt like I finally got to take my training wheels off. The Lord used Spanish because I never once felt homesick, culture shocked, or that awful feeling when you have something meaningful to say but you know the person you’re talking to won’t understand a word of it. I got to challenge my brain to think in a new way, all day everyday, and yes it was exhausting. Practicing Spanish helped me something new everyday, serve my heart out, and build relationships with incredible people. Leaving South America was very hard.
BUT GUYS. THE LORD. He knows the joy I find in using Spanish! He knows my heart and gave me my passions and desires and I realized TODAY that he has provided me with an opportunity to use spanish in person (not over the phone or internet) in every country I’ve been to since we left South America.
EVIDENCE
Cambodia: Definitely my hardest month on the race so far for many reasons. One of those reasons being that it was my first month to not know the language and Khmer is not exactly a language you can pick up over a month. I was blessed by my teammate Sarah who desires to better her Spanish by practicing with me. We would spend an hour or so every so often on a “camino”, while we did the dishes, laundry, or whatever together. We’d only speak in Spanish. Bless her.
Thailand: went mountain biking (don’t ask why) and there was a woman from Chile in my group! I’VE BEEN TO CHILE TOO! That was awesome. And hard, because it had been over a month since I used it. Also, mountain biking was v hard.
Serbia: I actually met four different people in Serbia who spoke Spanish. Fun fact: a lot of Serbs can understand Spanish because there are very popular spanish Telenovelas (soap operas) that are run on Serbian TV.
Romania: This weekend we visited a local village to meet the people, invite them into conversation and offer a bible with information on how to get connected to our church. I asked one woman if she spoke English and she replied “No, just Romanian and Spanish.” And I had a minor freak out. I was so thrilled at the fact that I no longer needed a third party to translate that I forgot to mention to my very confused translator what was happening. It was such a beautiful moment that filled me with gratitude and remembrance of the blessing that is communication.
Dang. He is so good. And I can see all of this evidence of his goodness and I can still forget. I forget that he is the one who led me to learn Spanish, use it, and care about it. I forget that he is the one who put me in Texas, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and everywhere after that. He knows I worry about forgetting it, about not using it for 8 months in a row when I have never gone more than a week or so back in Texas. I forget that he knows my heart because he gave me my heart, and he delights in giving me the desires of my heart.
So. All that to say that God is good and he has blessed me in yet another personal and powerful way on this journey. Just to share that with y’all. thabk you for reading some of/all of this very long post. You are great.
Paz y bendiciones ??
PSA: learn a new language to promote healthy cognitive function, increase memory and reduce your risk of developing dementia later in life. WIN WIN WIN
