What would drive a person to move to a different country to learn a language that they don't need to speak? // Why go through all the hassle and emotional mumbo-jumbo of putting the rest of your life on hold to move 2,000 miles away? // It can be expensive, it's scary, and you could just as well learn the same material in the states, right?
Every day that I'm here, I'm realizing more and more the incredible value of everything about my life in Guatemala.
Why go abroad to learn?
I'm learning the language in the best possible conditions. Not only am I totally and completely immersed, but I am also given individual, personalized attention.
I spend four hours every day with Gloria, who is debatably one of the most humble, kindhearted, patient, and intelligent people I know. (She speaks Spanish, French, and more English than she gives herself credit for, she's a law student, AND an incredible teacher!)
In a traditional classroom, it's easy to fade into the background. I am personally an expert at this. I passed my Spanish classes in high school by saying very little and memorizing a lot of vocab. I did the minimums and hid behind phrases like "yo también" and "no se" {in English: 'me too' and 'I don't know'}.
Here, there's nowhere to hide. If I don't know something, it's pretty obvious, but I also have the emotional support I need to be willing to admit that I have no clue what's going on and the courage to look/sound like an idiot while we try to figure out how to say something together. When this happens, the only possible result is that I grow.
This is how I can talk to a grandmother in the ice cream store with her grandson here and have her be surprised that I've been living here less than two weeks. It's how my Guatemamá can communicate more fluidly with every day. You grow quickly because you have one teacher devoting 100% attention to you.
What about immersion learning in the States?
Don't get me wrong, I think Spanish / Mandarin / you name a language someone's probably learning it somewhere / immersion is an incredible concept. Part of me wishes it was more common when I was still a kiddo, and then my learning Spanish now would probably be a piece of cake, if I wasn't already fluent!
But Spanish is somehow more than a language. Vocabulary doesn't make you fluent. Without knowledge of and respect for culture, the language is out of context and almost meaningless. When I'm talking about education or politics or history or culture with my tutor, I'm developing a deeper understanding of not only the language, but also the people and the lifestyle of those that live here, and that is almost impossible to teach in the states.
By the end of this trip, I won't just know about Guatemala, I will know Guatemala.
I won't just know words in Spanish, I will know Spanish.
I won't just know about the culture and lifestyle, I will have lived the culture and lifestyle.
And that's irreplaceable.
Linguistic technicalities: Learning to talk like a local.
I've found that some of the Spanish I've learned back in Michigan, especially things I learned formally in the classroom, make no sense.
For example, I may or may not have told my tutor today that the trip from Michigan to Florida is 20 hours by pig. I'm not kidding. Carros and coches are not the same thing here in Guatemala. Also, there are a lot of words that mean different things in different countries. I've been told that people are usually very forgiving if you mix up one of these little things, but there are numerous words that go from common household items to swear words when you head across the ocean.
Everywhere you go, there's slang. Everywhere you go, things have different names. And if you don't know at least some of it, you stick out like a sore thumb, like an ignorant gringo. This has been a lesson in humility for me lately... sometimes, I know less than I think I do.
Why learn another language at all?
The more Spanish I know, the more I start to realize what all being bilingual entails.
Yes, it will help me get a job. At first, I think this is why I was drawn to the language. Employers want flexible, intelligent people, simple as that. However, I've been learning and relearning lately that life is about so much more than just finishing school, paying bills, working, and dying. Thinking through it and looking at my tentative life plans, I think my reasons for learning this language are threefold.
1} The first is primarily aesthetic. I love the sound of the language and I love the lifestyle of those who live in Central America. Life happens slowly, times are approximate, fruit is fresh, and the sun is warm. It's beautiful.
2} I have a heart for people. Some people study math because they find it fascinating. Some people study English because they love literature. I'm studying Social Work, Psychology, and Spanish because I love people. In West Michigan, where I grew up, there are more and more immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries. I'll spare you my thoughts on immigration because this is neither the time nor the place, but I know that there is a population that is currently under-served. I love people, I serve people.
3} As Christians, we are called to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, are we not? How do I make disciples of all nations if I only know the language of people like me? Not everyone is called to be a missionary. At this point in my life, I am not called to be a missionary. But I am called to love the outsider, and if I'm living in the States, it's on my heart to learn Spanish.
Basically, I am loving my life here. I am learning to find beauty in the mundane and to marvel in the beautiful chaos that my life feels like right now.
Even in the almost two weeks that I've been here, I've developed a reverence and respect for the language and the culture and I'm so glad that I followed God's guidance that brought me here.
Every day that I'm here, I'm realizing more and more the incredible value of everything about my life in Guatemala.
Why go abroad to learn?
I'm learning the language in the best possible conditions. Not only am I totally and completely immersed, but I am also given individual, personalized attention.
I spend four hours every day with Gloria, who is debatably one of the most humble, kindhearted, patient, and intelligent people I know. (She speaks Spanish, French, and more English than she gives herself credit for, she's a law student, AND an incredible teacher!)
In a traditional classroom, it's easy to fade into the background. I am personally an expert at this. I passed my Spanish classes in high school by saying very little and memorizing a lot of vocab. I did the minimums and hid behind phrases like "yo también" and "no se" {in English: 'me too' and 'I don't know'}.
Here, there's nowhere to hide. If I don't know something, it's pretty obvious, but I also have the emotional support I need to be willing to admit that I have no clue what's going on and the courage to look/sound like an idiot while we try to figure out how to say something together. When this happens, the only possible result is that I grow.
This is how I can talk to a grandmother in the ice cream store with her grandson here and have her be surprised that I've been living here less than two weeks. It's how my Guatemamá can communicate more fluidly with every day. You grow quickly because you have one teacher devoting 100% attention to you.
What about immersion learning in the States?
Don't get me wrong, I think Spanish / Mandarin / you name a language someone's probably learning it somewhere / immersion is an incredible concept. Part of me wishes it was more common when I was still a kiddo, and then my learning Spanish now would probably be a piece of cake, if I wasn't already fluent!
But Spanish is somehow more than a language. Vocabulary doesn't make you fluent. Without knowledge of and respect for culture, the language is out of context and almost meaningless. When I'm talking about education or politics or history or culture with my tutor, I'm developing a deeper understanding of not only the language, but also the people and the lifestyle of those that live here, and that is almost impossible to teach in the states.
By the end of this trip, I won't just know about Guatemala, I will know Guatemala.
I won't just know words in Spanish, I will know Spanish.
I won't just know about the culture and lifestyle, I will have lived the culture and lifestyle.
And that's irreplaceable.
Linguistic technicalities: Learning to talk like a local.
I've found that some of the Spanish I've learned back in Michigan, especially things I learned formally in the classroom, make no sense.
For example, I may or may not have told my tutor today that the trip from Michigan to Florida is 20 hours by pig. I'm not kidding. Carros and coches are not the same thing here in Guatemala. Also, there are a lot of words that mean different things in different countries. I've been told that people are usually very forgiving if you mix up one of these little things, but there are numerous words that go from common household items to swear words when you head across the ocean.
Everywhere you go, there's slang. Everywhere you go, things have different names. And if you don't know at least some of it, you stick out like a sore thumb, like an ignorant gringo. This has been a lesson in humility for me lately... sometimes, I know less than I think I do.
Why learn another language at all?
The more Spanish I know, the more I start to realize what all being bilingual entails.
Yes, it will help me get a job. At first, I think this is why I was drawn to the language. Employers want flexible, intelligent people, simple as that. However, I've been learning and relearning lately that life is about so much more than just finishing school, paying bills, working, and dying. Thinking through it and looking at my tentative life plans, I think my reasons for learning this language are threefold.
1} The first is primarily aesthetic. I love the sound of the language and I love the lifestyle of those who live in Central America. Life happens slowly, times are approximate, fruit is fresh, and the sun is warm. It's beautiful.
2} I have a heart for people. Some people study math because they find it fascinating. Some people study English because they love literature. I'm studying Social Work, Psychology, and Spanish because I love people. In West Michigan, where I grew up, there are more and more immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries. I'll spare you my thoughts on immigration because this is neither the time nor the place, but I know that there is a population that is currently under-served. I love people, I serve people.
3} As Christians, we are called to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, are we not? How do I make disciples of all nations if I only know the language of people like me? Not everyone is called to be a missionary. At this point in my life, I am not called to be a missionary. But I am called to love the outsider, and if I'm living in the States, it's on my heart to learn Spanish.
Basically, I am loving my life here. I am learning to find beauty in the mundane and to marvel in the beautiful chaos that my life feels like right now.
Even in the almost two weeks that I've been here, I've developed a reverence and respect for the language and the culture and I'm so glad that I followed God's guidance that brought me here.