When I was younger, my mom used to tell me that I would thank her later in life for teaching me another language. She used to tell me that knowing how to speak another language would make me smarter, help me get more jobs, and ensure that it would expand my world knowledge. Boy, was she right.

Unfortunately though, as the years went on, I began to lose my bilingualism. Going from speaking primarily Spanish until the age of about 6, to hardly speaking at all for the remainder of my life has shown to be a very slow transition. I used to speak fluently without batting an eye, and now I speak with a much more involved cognitive process. Yet, the consequences have been monumental.

Just about every kid from my middle and high school took the 6-year language track. Evidently, I was no exception. These classes were always a breeze for me given my cultural background, but it was almost as if they were too easy. The dialect they teach in primary schools teaches basic, conversational Spanish. Yet, the dialect I learned at home was more informal and slang-like; common among native speakers. It was like learning that the words "could" and "not" form the contraction "couldn't", but teaching it the long way for the hell of it. At the end of the day, speaking one way is just easier and more efficient, although both are universally understood.

I didn't anticipate how frustrating it would be to learn how to adjust to this new diction structure until I had realized how much of the fluidity I had really lost. And it was all my fault. Just like anything, practice makes perfect. Learning a language is no exception.

Every day, I encounter situations where I constantly kick myself for not practicing this useful skill. Walking around campus offers a plethora of culture in itself, and at times it would be nice to keep up. That's always the cool thing about knowing another language too, you can discuss things with other native speakers and those who don't know the language won't understand. Conversation incognito, so to speak.

With summer coming up, the hunt to secure a job is imminent as well. Knowing another language can go a long way in the workforce, especially Spanish. Being bilingual allows employees to reach a larger target audience and promotes strong communication. Strong communication, whether in English or in any other language for that matter promotes strong relationships. Not to mention, those who speak another language have slightly higher salaries as well.

Besides making more money, knowing how to speak in another language is shown to increase brain activity. Psychology tells us that speaking another language or playing an instrument works a part of the brain that we normally don't use. Our brain is a muscle, and this type of exercise is what helps in making it stronger.

Another beautiful thing about knowing how to speak another language is the ambiguity of it all. My mom used to tell me never to swear at anyone in Spanish because the words hold more weight than they do in English- and it's true. Some things simply cannot be translated correctly, and that is all due to the fact that the structure of the words is just as unique as the culture they come from. But there's a certain beauty of trying though. Translation leaves more room for interpretation.

Above all though, I miss the culture of it all. My family and I used to go to Mexico all the time when I was younger in order to revisit my cultural roots. The environment and the atmosphere of that country alone is nothing like that in the U.S. - even if communities do try and replicate it. Hearing native speakers has always left me in awe too. The way the words seem to effortlessly, and beautiful flow off their tongue has never failed to amuse me. Listening to these conversations and observing the other ways people interact with each other can teach us a lot about our own habits.

I know a lot of people who are in the same position as me, and honestly, that may be my only regret in life. You don't start to gather an appreciation for some things until you're much older, and this is certainly one of those things that has eaten away at me for as long as I can remember.

Being bilingual is so cool, I don't care what anyone says. There is so much to use and learn from other cultures, even if they are our own. Language is how we communicate with humans, and knowing multiple is not something to take advantage of. And if I could go back, losing that knowledge would be the first thing I would change.