I’m not exactly sure where I expected to be with the
language after a year. I remember the first couple of months when communication
was nonexistent. I knew basic greetings & words, but to make a simple run
to the grocery store was difficult. I couldn’t explain anything. I would be
thinking of what I wanted to say in English & realize that I knew maybe two
words from that thought in Spanish. I guess I didn’t realize how much we rely
on being able to communicate.
Now, a year later, you’d think I’d be able to communicate
smoothly & understand everything, right? Wrong, but I’m trying to believe
that’s okay.
I have reached the point where I can speak in simple terms.
I’m over the hump of knowing only the greetings & basic words. I feel
confident with past tense & am trying to use more future tense, forgoing
the easy route ir [to go]. I’ve even hit the mark of being able to have decent
conversations with friends. While all of that is exciting, I still mess up
often & find myself frustrated over my lack of understanding.
I’m behind when it comes to knowing the Spanish verbs. I
recognize the essential ones & ones relevant to our work, but there’re so
many that I just don’t know. As a result, this makes it difficult to hear the
language. I’m constantly asking people to slow down or repeat. It’s something I
struggle with everyday. Also, I still feel like my brain is about to explode
when I have to talk or listen in Spanish for several hours. If I can’t
understand even one little word, I miss out on the meaning of the whole
conversation.
Needless to say, my understanding of Spanish isn’t as far
long as some others. However, as I looked back on the past year, I have
definitely improved, & as Howard Jones sings, “Things can only get better.”
