This week I furthered my practice on Duolingo. I am approaching a high-A1 / low-A2 level of Spanish proficiency. I did a little research into the criteria for meeting these levels and this means I know roughly 1000 words in Spanish. I was surprised, impressed and proud of myself to find this out! Many of my friends do not know a second language besides a few words here and there. We have been talking about visiting a Spanish speaking country on a reunion trip next year which means I will be relied upon to help translate at times. It is a lot of fun to decompress from school work and engage in some fun, easygoing Spanish exercises. I am writing a paper for my ELL class this semester on the challenges and benefits of learning a second language. Much of my paper revolves around my personal Spanish journey and how beneficial I find immersive travel when it comes to helping learn. I am a firm believer of being “thrown into the fire” and adjusting to foreign environments. I enjoy learning on the fly and adjusting to a sense of comfort when performing something that is initially “uncomfortable” to me. I have included a passage below from a source that I found that highlights the importance of immersing yourself in a second language. The more time you spend in an environment the more you are able to adjust, which is why my Spanish improved so much throughout a five month backpacking trip to South America in 2024.
Gibbons, P. (2015). Classroom talk: Creating contexts for language learning. In Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom 2nd Ed. (Ch. 2, pg. 26).
My face trying to figure out the words for “sad bridge” (puente triste) during Day 3 of a 5 day hike to Machu Picchu 🙁