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Let me tell you a story about when I went to Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1992.
I had volunteered to be a missionary for my church back then. I would need to learn the language well enough to live there for 16 months. My church had an intensive language training program for the first two months in which my group of missionaries studied with native Spanish speakers and advanced language teachers who had already returned from Argentina.
When our group of 20-plus missionaries landed on Argentine soil, I was surprised, or should I say, it was more like shocking to learn that I was required to take a four-hour bus trip from Buenos Aires to the small town I was assigned to live and serve in. It was my first day and the elder (male missionary) who put me on that bus told me to get off at the second to the last bus stop. What? How? What was I supposed to say to ask where to get off?
I could not have been more unprepared at that moment
I was terrified to learn that I would be traveling alone but I did as I was told and somehow I made it to the right place late at night. Another American girl was waiting for me in the only taxi at the bus station when I arrived. Thank goodness she was another American and would surely understand what it was like to experience extreme culture shock and inadequate language skills.
That night was the coldest night of my entire existence! Nobody had told me that a country in the southernmost cone of South America could be that cold in July. Oh, there was a huge humidity factor as well, and the cold nibbled right through my bones. I opened my suitcase, pulled out my sleeping bag and put on all my clothes, including a hat, scarf and wool gloves. Even with all that layering, I still couldn’t get warm; I felt like an Eskimo!
Fast forward a month later. I had assimilated more of the culture and language and was interacting with the local Argentineans. At that point, I was then expected to teach in Spanish. After much practice and anguish, I thought to myself “This time I know I pronounced those words well. Surely they will understand me”… Unfortunately, the moment of defeat was made known to me as the local person turned to my fellow female missionary and asked her, “What did she just say?”
At that point, I couldn´t hold back the tears. I had put in all the work I could by studying and trying to understand the locals as best as possible. How could it be that they couldn´t understand me when I spoke Spanish? After all, I could understand most of what they were saying…
The answer would come later. In the process of language acquisition, we understand much more when others speak the language, but learning how to speak ourselves takes longer. What many adult learners of second and foreign languages often don’t realize is that in a way, we become like children when we try to learn another language. And guess what? Like me, you may realize that it is harder than we thought and sometimes painful to go through…
Fast forward to 2023. I have been speaking conversational Spanish for almost three decades now, and 22 of those years have been while living and traveling in Latin American countries like Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba.
My point is this: Acquiring another language does take a lot of time and effort but I can assure you of one thing with full certainty. It is so worth it! Look what the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne said (below):
I do believe the best way is to immerse yourself in the language you want to acquire. If you’re not able to do this, there are many excellent systems out there and good teachers.
Best of luck on your language journey!
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I am a memoirist who calls a spade a spade and spares nothing when it comes to telling stories. I live in Mexico with my awesome son Dylan.