¡Hola y bienvenidos, dulcitos!
The other day I watched a Spanish rom-com called (en inglés) “Without Saying Goodbye”. I was instructed to watch this movie by my italki maestra as my homework. I got cozy with my snacks and started the movie with Spanish subtitles. I recently starting doing this as a way to challenge myself a bit more. I’ve had success with the few other shows/movies I’ve done this with, so I felt good about this one. As soon as it started, I was immediately struck by how fast they were speaking. Yes, I know that Spanish is one of the fastest languages, but I couldn’t even read the subtitles quickly enough. I got about 30 minutes in, and I had to stop. I was able to understand the general goings-on of the movie (mainly because of body language and the fact that I’ve seen more rom-coms than I’d care to admit), but I didn’t absorb hardly any of what was being said.
A whirl of thoughts and emotions entered my body over something seemingly unimportant. My brain hurt, and I was disheartened because I felt like I should have understood. I thought,
“What’s going on? You’ve been studying for long enough to understand these conversations.”
“You’re never going to be able to understand.”
Most days I’m pretty kind to myself, but some days just hit different and I end up going into negative self-talk mode. I think that a lot of us can have these moments, so I’m here to remind you (and myself) of a few things…
Hard Days are Normal
Learning a new language is hard, friend! That’s why not everyone is learning languages left and right. Training your brain to understand new sounds, associating familiar ideas to new words, and recalling these new words and speaking them into a new sentence structure is extraordinarily complex! Also, there are so many factors that contribute to whether we’re having a “good” day or not like sleep, motivation, mood, distractions, stress, how much we’ve practiced recently, etc. Remember that you’re taking on a very big challenge, and you should celebrate yourself for doing so!
Give Yourself Time
Remember how long it took you to learn English as a child? You likely had to take English classes all the way through high school! Plus, if you grew-up in an English-speaking country, everyone around you spoke English – aka full immersion! Now, each of you will have your own unique situation in regards to immersion level, practice time, resources, etc. Each one of those factors will contribute to how quickly you will meet your Spanish goals. That being said, please breathe, get comfortable here, and enjoy the ride. We’ll be here for a while.
Your Progress Does NOT Reflect Your Worth
This one is a doozy, but it’s very important to let this one sink in. How quickly and efficiently you learn this language is NOT a reflection of your worth! (Read it again.) It is not a reflection of your intelligence, your work-ethic, or your value. It is simply a culmination of every factor we’ve discussed. This is not a competition with yourself or anyone else, but a learning experience. You are enough, and you are doing amazing, dulcitos!
I know I have placed a lot of pressure and expectation on myself. When I stop and think of these three points, I am able to come back to center. I am the only person who has placed this pressure and expectation on myself, and I am also the only person who can relieve it. This is actually a unique challenge to take on with a ton of reward. I am grateful I have the opportunity, resources, and support to be able to learn this beautiful language. I hope you, too, are able to find the beauty in this process, and treat yourself with compassion. You deserve it!
¡Feliz aprendizaje!
Em
