My Spanish trip – The Fitnessista

Sharing more about how I have been working in Spanish in recent years and what has helped me the most. Spoiler: Duolingo did anything for me.

Hello friends! How are you? I hope you are having a beautiful morning. Yesterday we did an aquatic park and a theme park, so I have the feeling that today it will be a bit more discreet.

Now that we headed for our fourth week in Spain, I thought I would make a small update on my Spanish trip and some of the things that have helped me the most. I think as an adult, it is very important to be * beginner * in things; Challenge your brain in a new way and try the hobbies and activities that you have always wanted to do, even if it is not good at the beginning. I know that many of my friends have the goal of learning a new language, so I hope this publication is useful! I would also love to hear any strategy that has worked for you.

My trip in Spanish

A little background:

– When growing, my mother’s family often spoke Spanish. Because of this, I have always been able to understand it, but I never did. I would do the thing in which my family would ask me something in Spanish, and answer in English. When people spoke Spanish around me, I knew what was happening, but did not contribute to the conversation.

– I took Spanish classes at primary and intermediate school (super basic things) and I specialized in Spanish at the university. I thought it would be my opportunity to feel completely safe and fluid in Spanish. I wrote essays, I read novels, I analyzed poetry, but maybe I spent 5% of the time in my university Spanish classes that really spoke Spanish. So, once again, he only solidified my understanding, he gave me the ability to write and read in Spanish, but he really didn’t put my goal of feeling safe speaking.

– A couple of years ago, I decided that I was going to start practicing again and really understand things. We love to travel, I love being able to interact with people in different places, so it became really important to me. Some of our closest friends are Colombians, and have friends who speak Spanish, so I wanted to contribute and feel more comfortable with speaking. In addition, I would like to start working with IHP customers in Spanish at the beginning of next year.

I tried some different things to refresh my skills and feel safer speaking.

This is what has made a huge difference and this is what did absolutely nothing.

Learn Spanish as an adult

Applications:

I have not found an application that is useful for real world situations. I have tried both Duolingo and Babbel and I did not impress myself with both. I feel that it is a lot of coincidences and vocabulary, but little understanding behind the grammatical rules and how to use languages ​​in real life. In addition, most of the time, you don’t even remember what you were doing. Even with the use of applications in a little ignition, I did not learn anything new.

Virtual tutoring and in person:

This has been the greatest Gamechanger for me. I investigated a lot and found Itki and has been my option for Spanish tutoring. I have tutoring at least once a week, but I also have homework throughout the week in reading, writing, fluency, speaking and listening. He took a while, but I found a tutor that pushes me (it is actually a bit bad sometimes hahaha) but he is taking me out of my comfort zone and the next level. (If you want your information, please LMK and I would be happy to pass it!)

Practicing Spanish in Spain:

Last year, when we arrived in Spain for about two weeks, I thought: “Here we go. This is my chance!” It was a small reinforcement of trust to feel that I could do it. I could ask for food at restaurants, ask and answer questions, ask for taxis, it was really NBD. Last year, I felt that the locals spoke to us a lot about English and surprised us how many people in Seville spoke English. It feels like the opposite experience this time due to my determination to speak only Spanish while we were here. I was surprised how easy and natural it feels, and I have only been English a couple of times. 😉

I also had the opportunity to work with a lovely Spanish tutor twice a week while we were here!

Most of my conversations in the world have been at the surface level: store interactions and restaurants. Buuut, my deepest conversations have been with taxi drivers! In Barcelona, ​​we talked about much: the economy, the quality of life in the United States, how much do schools and groceries cost … I loved it. I am excited to continue practicing while we are here and return home and perhaps finally speak Spanish with my many Spanish -speaking friends. 😉

So tell me, friends: What are you a beginner these days?

Are you working to learn a new instrument or language? I would love to know about that!

Xoxo

Gina