3 Things the Spanish Language Taught Me (Part II)

That There Is a Big World Out There

Did I know that there are billions of other people on the planet before my Spanish lessons? Yes, I did. Did I realise that they all had different lives and different thoughts from me? I guess on some level I did but not in the same way as I do now. I am going to give a really simple example which might or might not help explain what I am struggling to put into words. I used to watch a lot of Spanish football on the telly but now that I know what the players are saying (usually not very interesting to be honest) I can relate to them more and they seem more real. Did that even make sense? I think I want to say that I now know that not everyone thinks like me and that this is a good thing.

To Be More Confident

When you learn a foreign language it can give you a huge injection of confidence. Even during my initial Spanish courses I could feel this. I don’t think this relates purely to the academic progress I was making. After all, I didn’t feel as good when I finally learned how to make a dovetail joint. It was more about opening up to new experiences and broadening my horizons. It is a fantastic sensation even if it is really difficult to describe.