I don't know if I love the Spanish language so much because I grew up watching Dora, or if I grew up watching Dora because I love the Spanish language so much, but either way it's something I'm determined to master. I can remember as a kid how I used to look for signs that were in both English and Spanish and try to determine which word in Spanish meant which word in English. Then when I got older and realized that the internet, and Google translate, existed, I used to think up phrases and words that I wanted to know and memorize them. Foreign languages weren't a graduation requirement at my high school but I took three years of it anyway. Even in my senior year of high school when I took my classes at Kent State University I continued taking Spanish classes. Ever since I found out what study abroad is I've wanted to study abroad in Spain, or at least a Spanish speaking country.

Basically what I'm trying to say is that learning Spanish has been a lifelong obsession for me. Why? I've never been quite sure exactly why I love Spanish so much. Maybe because it was the first language outside of English that I was exposed to. Maybe because it's becoming more and more prevalent in America. Maybe because it sounds different, exciting and beautiful. I really can't pinpoint why the obsession started but the more I've studied Spanish the more I've grown to love it.

In my high school Spanish classes we spent a lot of time studying different Spanish cultures while learning the language. We learned about the traditional holidays associated with the Spanish language such as the Day of the Dead and Cinco de Mayo, but we also learned about parts of the Aztec culture too. We learned about the vosotros (you all proper) conjugation that's only used in Spain and pretty much no other Spanish speaking countries. We learned about Mexican wars. We also studied prominent hispanic figures such as the first Latina Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor. I learned about parts of American history that were never touched in the traditional history classes such as all of the amazing work done by Cesar Chavez.

Not only has learning Spanish taught me so much about the cultures and histories of Spanish speaking countries but it's opened my eyes. It has made me more curious about the world around me, about the different groups of people and their backgrounds. It has taught me that there is so much more to both American and world history than what is in our history books in school. It has taught me to keep an open mind and to try to understand other people's cultures before acting or judging. It has led me to admire immigrants, or really anyone, who learn English as a second language because I know if learning Spanish is hard for me than English must be ten times harder. It has taught me to think and to listen more. When I'm trying to translate something from Spanish most of the time it doesn't come naturally. I have to think harder about what is being said or about what's written and I've noticed this practice transfer to things that are in English. It has taught me to pay attention to details as the difference between the word meaning anus and the word meaning years comes down to an accent mark over the n. My attempts to learn Spanish have taught me so much more than just the language and I can't wait to learn more in the upcoming semesters.