Before coming to Ecuador, I had merely one elementary Spanish course under my belt with little to no experience speaking or hearing the language being spoken by native speakers. I’ve always had an interest in learning Spanish but kept pushing it off into the future since I didn’t have time to prioritize it. When I realized this study abroad dream was turning into reality I had no time in my schedule to take another class. I was informed of how my living situation would look when I arrived and had tried to practice what little Spanish I learned but this didn’t do much for me in the first 24 hours of being with my host family who spoke not a word of English. Working out the kinks of pronunciation took a bit but within a week I was speaking much more, learning a lot, and connecting well with my family. Although it felt extremely embarrassing to speak Spanish and constantly be messing up and saying the wrong thing, I wouldn’t change a thing. The things I’m more certain about when I’m speaking now always seem to have been the mistakes I made in the past. Unfortunately, books and lessons can only take you so far without speaking or hearing what you are wanting to learn. I’ve learned that the best way to quickly improve your abilities is to merely say it aloud. Whether you mess up or say the wrong thing doesn’t matter, you just need to try! You’ll notice pretty quickly how much more you can do.

As time goes on it may be hard not to get discouraged if you don’t feel any crazy new differences in your understanding or speaking of the language. One small way to help reconnect yourself with the language could be to remind yourself of why you started in the first place. Is it a part of your ancestry or what your family may speak? Do you want to travel to a new place and be able to connect with the locals? Do you just think it would be cool to be fluent in another language? Think back to what created your passion around learning that language and try to get back into that mindset. Another interesting way to reconnect with the language could be to find new music that you really enjoy. Music has a way with moving everyone and can make you feel more a part of the culture you are learning about. Finding a new TV show or movie to watch can help as well. If I find myself at a standstill not knowing what next I should work on or just wanting some new vocabulary, tv shows and movies are an easy and relaxing way to do that! For more difficult things that are putting a dent in your motivation to keep learning, try searching for free resources online. Depending on what language you are studying, there are ample sites and videos to help explain hard concepts in ton of ways. For me personally, reading allows me to comprehend things more quickly than hearing it so I find lessons online in text format but for others it may be better to hear it being explained so a video would be more fitting.

If you are wanting to start learning a new language, know that it will be difficult at times, but also so rewarding no matter how long it takes or frustrating it can be! I have learned that I am not the quickest language learner, but I really enjoy learning it and that’s all that matters. Although, you should be warned! Learning a new language is an extremely humbling practice! That being said, it can teach you some of the best lessons on how to brush things off and get over being embarrassed. You’ll start to care less about what people are thinking of you especially when you are speaking and trying your best to learn more. I truly believe in the long run you’ll be happier overall and more confident in yourself as you learn what you are capable of!

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: IES Abroad: Galapagos Islands (GAIAS)