Choosing your major is one of the toughest decisions a college student has to make. Sometimes you genuinely have no idea as to what you want to do once you graduate from college. If you’re like me, you excelled in high school Spanish. The basic vocabulary and not-so-basic grammar just came to you easier than the Pythagorean theorem or the periodic table. If you’re like me, you decided to make this your major because it's just about the only thing you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life. If you’re like me, you can relate to the following situations. Here are five things all Spanish majors are tired of hearing.
“Wait, you’re a Spanish major?”
Every college icebreaker includes your name, major and a fun fact about yourself. Every. Single. One. And this gives the typical Spanish student a bit of anxiety. We often feel lost in a sea of nursing students, business majors and other common career paths. When it is our turn to introduce ourselves, it becomes a big deal because let’s face it, our major is a minority.
“So, like, do you want to be a Spanish teacher?”
Spanish majors have the option, but are not limited to becoming a Spanish teacher. The opportunities are endless for a foreign language, and yet I’m only ever asked if I’m going to become a teacher. Maybe I want to be a translator. Maybe I want to be a social worker. I don't have to be a teacher.
“Wait, do you, like, speak Spanish? Say something in Spanish!”
If you’re actually fluent, this question is a breeze. But if your skills aren’t quite there yet, but still pretty good, this can get pretty uncomfortable. Yes, I speak Spanish. No, I’m not entirely fluent. And it really wouldn’t matter what I said to you in Spanish, because odds are you won’t understand me anyway.
“I did well in high school Spanish!”
Look, buddy. I don’t know how to break it to you but we all did well in high school Spanish class. Él, ella, and usted. That’s all there is to it, right?
“That must be an easy major.”
Oh, really? Well, you know that 10-page term paper you just handed in? Imagine writing the entire thing, start to finish, only in another language. That is the life of a Spanish major. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure your anatomy class is just as much of a foreign language to me as my Spanish is to you. But there is nothing easy about being a Spanish major.
“How do you say [curse word]?”
Oh, so that's what you think they teach us in our college Spanish classes? Go get a pocket dictionary and find out for yourself.
