This semester, I’ve had the exciting opportunity to study abroad at the University of Costa Rica. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to study here was so that I could take the Spanish I’ve studied in high school and college classrooms and learn to speak it in the real world.
And you better believe I have I had the opportunity to do that. Here in Costa Rica, I live with a family that only speaks Spanish, I’m taking five classes a week that are all in Spanish, and even some of my friends here only speak Spanish. I definitely got what I signed up for—I’ve heard it said that the more you learn about another language, the more you learn how much you don’t know. That’s definitely been the case for me.
In addition to vocabulary and grammar skills, I’ve learned to experience and identify my own five-step cycle of language immersion. Here it is, from the perspective of me talking with a native Spanish speaker:
Step 1: Overwhelming Fear
This is the part of the cycle where, inexplicably, everything I’ve ever learned about Spanish language or culture leaves my brain all at the same time. You might as well be speaking to me in Klingon. When I’m at this step, nothing is getting through. My brain might not even understand your words in English because fear is filling up every corner of my mind like an enormous hot air balloon inflating inside my skull.
Step 2: Surprised Understanding
At this point in the cycle, I know that I understand your Spanish. However, instead of responding to you, all I can do is think over and over, “I understood! I understood! I understood!” Due to my lack of response, this step seems, to you, very similar to step one. I am so shocked that I understand what you are saying that I have no ability to respond to you in any way. I end up being happy that I can interpret your words, but saddened by my sudden lingual paralysis.
Step 3: Shy Beginnings of Confidence
This is the part of the cycle where I am starting to believe that I can actually speak another language. Slowly, carefully, I begin to speak words of Spanish. If you understand me—success! If you don’t understand me, that’s it, I’m done, I’ll probably run away or start playing a game on my phone to avoid the situation.
Step 4: Bold and Ill-founded Confidence
After I have had enough conversations to boost my Spanish-speaking ability from step three, this is the part of the cycle where I briefly believe I am the champion of the Spanish language. YO PUEDO! My overblown confidence, combined with my limited grammar knowledge and sub par accent, means that you will probably not be able to understand me. At that point, my confidence will be shattered and I will plummet to step five.
Step 5: Embarrassed and Angry Rejection of All Things Spanish
This is the step where I take all Spanish spoken to me as an insult and walk quickly to the bus/coffee shop/classroom to avoid having to speak to anyone. I’ll never be able to learn this language and why did I come here, anyway? At the end of this stage, my bitterness and anger will recede only to be replaced by step one, Overwhelming Fear, at which point the cycle begins again.
It’s only been two months, and I can definitely see a difference in my Spanish at the beginning of my time here and my Spanish now. I can only hope that every time I repeat this cycle, I’m starting a little bit higher on my hike up the mountain of truly learning to communicate in another language.
