I'm a French major with a minor in communications. I love speaking in French, writing in French, sometimes I even dream in French. If you're a language major like me, you have the gift to speak another language and converse with other people. We love speaking our other language as often as possible. When people ask the inevitable "Whats your major?" question...you get a few different types of reactions when you say "My major is (insert language here)."
1. "OMG! Say something!"
Too many people have asked me this question, and I just stare at them "Um OK, what do you want me to say?" Then they respond "I don't know?" First of all, I know you think its cool when I speak another language, but I could say complete gibberish and you wouldn't even know the difference.
However inside you feel so proud of yourself and see the look on other people faces...
2. "How do you swear in (insert language here)?"
I get it...you wanna swear at people without them knowing. A little secret among language majors; we love to talk amongst ourselves and our friends in our language. No one ever knows what we're talking about! We could literally say anything and no one would know. But honestly, a swear word is one of the first things we learn.
3. We Get Brain Farts Too...
When we haven't spoken another language in a while...you can get rusty. So when your teacher calls on you the first day of class and you struggle to form a sentence; not gonna lie it can get embarrassing. But hey, it happens to everyone and is perfectly normal.
4. Our Textbooks Are Wicked Expensive
Don't get me wrong, everyone's textbooks are expensive... especially science majors. But language books 99.9% need to be in brand new condition because they usually come with CD's and workbooks. Needless to say our wallets are empty.
5. You Meet Different Study Abroad Students
You're always the first to know who is new to campus and where they're from. You immediately start conversing with them to practice your skills and ask them 100 questions about their life. They're always the most interesting people and you make friends from all over the world! Not to mention you get to try different foods and experience with the culture. Pretty cool, huh!
6. You Know Every Professor In The Language Department
It's almost like a little community. You've had almost every language teacher and most of them you've had twice. Most of them are nice, but you have those professors who like to give "pop quizzes" or who don't allow english in their classrooms. Other than that you have classes with the same people and you soon develop your own relationships with them. They become your second family.
Needless to say being a language major has it's ups and downs but in the end is truly rewarding. You not only get to travel, but you have the opportunity to be in a close-knit community with other people and develop a bond with them and your professors. Not to mention being bilingual is pretty freakin' awesome too!
