When people find out that I’m going to study abroad in Peru, one of the first questions they ask is, “Do you speak Spanish?” Usually, I just tell them that I took it in high school because honestly, I don’t actually know how good my linguistic abilities are. While I’ve been hanging out at home for the past three months before my trip starts, one of the tasks at the top of my to-do list has been to review and practice Spanish.
Everyone knows that the items at the top of a to-do list are either more urgent than the rest of the tasks and also are usually more difficult to accomplish. So instead of jumping right in and taking advantage of the time I’ve had to look over my notes and textbooks from old Spanish classes, I’ve kind of avoided the subject and hoped that sleeping with a bilingual dictionary under my pillow every night will facilitate the osmosis process. Just kidding! (Although maybe I should give that a try and see how well it works out.)
I took Spanish all through high school and did well on the Advanced Placement test. I was president of Spanish Honor Society and Spanish Club at my school and spent 10 weeks in Ecuador the summer between my sophomore and junior years. Based on these credentials, one would think that my Spanish skills should still be up to par. But while high school doesn’t seem that long ago when reminiscing about the awkward homecoming dances and bad hairdos, I’ve realized that trying to remember some of the stuff I actually learned is a bit more difficult.
Unfortunately, I’ve also realized that I can understand a lot more Spanish than I can speak. This makes watching soccer games on Univision and listening to people gossiping in Spanish in the mall easy, but when it comes to actually having a conversation with another person, it can be an issue — especially for someone who loves to talk, like me.
No matter what happens, it’s not as if I’ll be mute — my Spanish vocabulary is actually fairly extensive — but there are a few problems. Sadly, most of the words I remember from Spanish classes do not seem to be relevant for actual conversations. I can talk about what I would bring to a picnic or write a letter of advice, but I don’t think that’s going to be too helpful when I find myself trying to get home on the bus or figuring out how to use an ATM machine. At the end of the day, I’m not too worried about simple vocabulary, though. My high school Spanish teacher taught me great circumlocution techniques, such as using multiple words to describe simple ones, and I figure that if all else fails, there’s always the gesture-and-point move.
I’ve also realized that I will inevitably make stupid mistakes and I can’t worry too much about them. I learned this lesson the hard way as a summer exchange student in Ecuador when I mistakenly told my host family that I was pregnant instead of embarrassed because I thought it was a cognate. Turns out it isn’t. That was an uncomfortable situation, but now I know not to make the same mistake again.
It’s my grammatical abilities, though, that are sorely lacking. While I can get my point across in Spanish, I often sound like an uneducated person or a second grader in the process, which isn’t too bad except for the fact that I’ll be taking classes and working in a Peruvian public school. To remedy the situation, I’ve been working with some pages in an old workbook and taking free online practice quizzes, but of course, none of it is authentic. I’ve also been checking out novels and renting DVDs in Spanish from my local library, as well as chatting up employees at local restaurants and trying to take advantage of any opportunity to practice my skills. I’ve decided that when it comes down to it, everything will work out and I can’t worry about it too much. In just one short week, we’ll see if my efforts have paid off at all.
That’s right. The next time that you read this, there may be some actual news to report, as I will finally be in Lima! Next week when your Spring Break starts and you’re celebrating the fact that you’re about halfway done with your semester, I’ll be leaving to start mine. So wish me luck, and send any suggestions you have for how to learn a foreign language in a week.
Rachel’s column runs biweekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at r.gottlieb@cavalierdaily.com.
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