“¿Qué haces ahora?”
“I’m going to dinner”, I replied, with my very basic Spanish.
I had just arrived at my hostel in Medellin and the Colombian girl with whom I was sharing my room suggested that we get food together. Tired and hungry, I was glad to be accompanied by someone who knew the city. There was one caveat, however: she only spoke Spanish. It was the perfect opportunity to apply what I had been learning in class, but I wasn’t sure if I would be up to the challenge.
We made our way to an Italian restaurant across the street. Over a large jar of sangria, we discussed our lives, our families, and our ambitions. At some point in the conversation, I noticed that I was doing something I had never done before; I was listening closely to every single word that she said. If I missed even one syllable, I risked missing the entire sentence completely. Learning a language is the ultimate practice in mindfulness.
Practicing yoga before class.
What is Mindfulness?
The concept of mindfulness has been growing in popularity in recent years. It refers to a mental state of complete awareness, and can be defined simply as, “... the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us” (“What is Mindfulness?”). In a world that has conditioned us to use our minds for a million different things at once, achieving this state requires practice. This can be done through a number of meditation exercises, and as I’d like to argue, through learning a language. Here’s why:
You Are in the Present Moment
When you are listening to someone speak, watching a film, or listening to a song in a different language, all of your energy is being used towards understanding what is being said. You must not only listen, but also take in each word, process their meanings, and place them in the context of the sentence. You do not have the luxury of dozing off or of thinking about what you are going to eat for dinner. You are forced to be completely present in the current moment, which is not always the case with a language that you have been speaking since birth.
You Think About What You Say
When it comes to speaking, you often do not have the ability to just spew off whatever nonsense pops into your mind. Before creating sentences in a new language, you need to think through everything you are going to say before you say it. Thoughtfully considering our words is something that we all ought to practice doing more often, even if we are speaking in our native tongue.
One of our students engaging in conversation with a native speaker.
You Gain Compassion for Yourself and Others
Learning another language is hard work; plain and simple. You must be patient with yourself and your process, and accept that fluency will not happen overnight. It is also a beautiful thing to realize that you can form deep connections to people who do not speak your language. Here at Spanish Adventure, I’ve learned that it is not always the words that are spoken with a person that matter, but the feelings that you have while you are together. I truly believe that our common humanness is transcendent of language and any other myriad of things that may make us different.
So… Are you ready to learn a language?
Spanish Adventure is the perfect place to begin your language journey. Come join us in San Carlos for an exciting and immersive Spanish experience! All of the information about our programs can be found here.