It’s been more than 20 years since I took the first of four levels of conversational Spanish at Langara College in Vancouver. I really enjoyed learning the language at the time. Since then I have tried to keep up. I always try to speak the language when I am in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country, watch TV programs in Spanish and listen to a lot of Latin pop.
When I was in Málaga in October I felt like I really had lost a lot of my vocabulary and maybe a little bit of confidence. Also, as a friend from Barcelona said to me when I was there – you don’t speak Spanish, you speak Mexican. (Ay, no mames güey.)
Now that I have a firmish plan to move to Sevilla in 2025, I think I need to sharpen my skills. It will make it so much easier to interact and integrate in the community. I have signed up for Spanish: Level II at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Education. I am going to take in person to be able to interact with others who are excited to learn the language.
I’m also going into this course 20 years older. Studies have shown that engaging in activities that challenge the brain, such as learning a new language, can help stave off cognitive decline and keep the mind sharp. While mastering verb conjugations and tackling pronunciation is challenging, it will also give my brain an invigorating exercise routine.
While I am in the course I will be taking a one week trip to San Jaun, Puerto Rico. The dialect and accent there are very different from Spain, but I am hoping that it will give me an opportunity for some practice.
I am also going to be joining some MeetUp groups to get the opportunity to practice even after the course is finished. There is one group that meets really close to my place to make it easy to join after work. They meet in a pub so some liquid courage may be helpful. I hear that’s an urban legend.
This feels like a great step in my journey to Spain. One that I am going to embrace with an open mind and vulnerability. ¡Vamos a aprender! (Let’s learn!)
