How I Learned Spanish By Traveling to 10 Spanish-Speaking Countries
I took my first Spanish class in 8th grade as an elective course.
This was my favorite class along with the best teacher I ever had in school. After taking this class, I knew I wanted to become fluent. I was amazed with the world I was discovering and just simply never wanted to stop learning.
But even more than that, this class was where my wanderlust was born because in addition to learning about the language, I learned about cultural events and celebrations like Día de Los Muertos.
Learning about cultural aspects made me want to go visit the places I was learning about and experience it for myself.
But alas as a 13 year old, this would have to wait.
After 5 years of Spanish classes, I was extremely knowledgeable about grammatical concepts but was still struggling to hold a conversation.
At the time, I felt like I didn’t have very many opportunities to practice my speaking skills and learn by doing because my closest friends and family members didn’t speak Spanish.
I am a learn by doing kind of person and if the goal is to learn a language, I believe immersion is the best method for everyone.
Yes, immersion is available to all of us at all times! Read on to find out how!
After I graduated high school in 2017, I traveled to Spain for three weeks on a school sponsored exchange program (a Spanish kid stayed at my house for 3 weeks and then I went and stayed with him and his family for 3 weeks.)
I was finally getting the chance to be surrounded by Spanish speakers and constantly getting opportunities to practice what I have learned.
I was stoked.
Not gonna lie though, spending so much time in Spanish and around native Spanish speakers gave me a headache at times because of all the mental energy I was expending on focusing what others were saying and still translating from English to Spanish in my head before responding.
If you have experienced this, just know that it won’t last too much longer and you’re getting really close to taking that next step towards fluency!
Over the next few years, I spent time in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
And the smile that comes to my face as I type this list of countries brings me so much gratitude as well as joy that I get to tell others just how awesome every single one of these places are!
Every place I have visited is somewhere I would love to go back to as well as gush whenever I get to hype up these destinations to others.
While in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Peru I spent at least a month in each taking Spanish classes with the organization Maximo Nivel.
But these classes were very different from what I did in high school because more times than not, these were one-on-one classes where I got everything I needed, which definitely was not more grammar.
These classes often turned into conversations where we could get deep about certain topics and I could practice vocabulary and sentence structures I didn’t get the opportunity to use everyday in more casual conversations.
This kind of practice is how I got fluent because I already had such a strong background in writing and reading.
For that, I’ll always look back fondly on those conversations and on Maximo Nivel.
But for anyone coming across them now, I would say they can be a little expensive.
The cheaper way to get some immersion in your life might not be what you think of when you hear the word immersion.
One of my roommates in Guatemala was so immersed he was around Spanish basically at all times, day after day, to the point that he would stumble over speaking in English, his native language, because he just wasn’t used to it.
And the crazy part? What he was doing is something anyone can do.
Yes he was going out and meeting Spanish speakers but when he was at home he was watching tv shows and movies in Spanish.
Immersion: a method of teaching a foreign language by the exclusive use of that language.
If you don’t have anyone you can speak to regularly in the language you’re trying to learn, you can still immerse yourself by consuming content like tv shows, movies, or even music in that language!
If you’re still a beginner, try watching a movie you’ve seen before so that you already know what's going on… but watch it in Spanish with Spanish subtitles so that you train your ear while improving your reading comprehension as well.
Immersion is always available to you if you’re willing to consume content in the language you’re trying to learn.
This could include music, movies, tv shows, but also articles, books, and anything in written form as well.
Have a Strong Why
If you want to do anything hard in life, including learning a language, having a strong reason why you’re doing it will help tremendously.
Learning a language is hard, no question.
I’ve had plenty of people tell me they want to learn Spanish but then give up when they start putting in the work to improve and realize how hard it is.
Having a strong reason why you want to accomplish a hard thing makes the obstacles you encounter seem smaller because you’re looking ahead at what’s beyond the obstacle that lies in front of you.
I am naturally drawn to the Spanish language and cultures but even beyond that, my why has to do with my favorite teacher, Profe Amaya.
My first year of college, I received news that Amaya had died by suicide. So for me, practicing Spanish, improving my proficiency, and experiencing aspects of the various cultural lifestyles provided a way for me to continue connecting with her even after death.
And since she was the first one to teach me about Día de Los Muertos, my perspective on death in general was forever changed in a way that reminds me that our loved ones are always alive in our memories.
In 2021, I got my first tattoo on my left forearm of the Spanish word, “Cuídate,” something Amaya would tell me often when saying goodbye (which is culturally common to do among Spanish speakers).
I had the idea for this tattoo shortly after Amaya’s passing but held on to the idea until I felt “fluent” in the language.
If you have a strong why, you can achieve anything you set your mind to
Conclusion
Although it is beneficial to understand the grammar and vocabulary when learning a language, what will really get you fluent is practice which is easiest to attain through immersion, using the language.
Of course mistakes will be made.
In fact, I love making mistakes because I see them as learning opportunities that lead to improvement.
Embrace failure because you really only fail when you give up.
And now that I’m bilingual, I’m starting to unconsciously mix the two languages which I find extremely fascinating.
If you want to be bilingual, I completely believe in you! You can do this!
Thank you for reading about my journey!
If you’re on a similar journey or trying to learn a new language, leave a comment! I’d love to hear any thoughts/reactions/responses.
Nos vemos y cuídate!
