!Bienvenida! Welcome!

¡Hola! and welcome to Walking in Spanish Shoes, a blog featuring my thoughts as an American living as a Madrileña. I've always been passionate about the Spanish language and the chance to learn about and experience different cultures. While many have already seized the opportunity to travel foreign countries and broaden their horizons, for me, this will be my first adventure outside the U.S.
During my time abroad, I will be living and working as a Language and Culture Assistant. I hope to encourage and inspire you to start and/or continue to travel outside of your comfort zone and experience the world. Through my blog, I will be giving you a glimpse of my daily activities, thoughts, and obstacles I encounter while transitioning from the lifestyle of an American to that of a Spaniard.

Whether you've traveled abroad before, currently backpacking in Europe, or planning to take a step into the unknown....I want to hear from you! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Thoughts Thus Far


So, I’ve been in Madrid for almost two months now and I’m starting to wonder if I’m on the right track to improving my fluency. I honestly don’t know, and it scares me. I met a girl at church a couple of weeks ago from California. She told me she had been living in Spain for the past two years and will be leaving in December of this year. I asked her if she was fluent in Spanish she responded, “No, but I’m really good.” I was shocked and a little frightened because I plan to be here for two years as well, but one of my main goals is to be “fluent” not just “Really good”. Her excuse for not being fluent was the fact that she continuously socializes with her American friends here in Spain. I knew before leaving the US that socializing continuously with Americans would hinder my progress in achieving my goal. That’s why I chose to be an Au Pair.

I don’t want to freak out, or put too much pressure on myself for the lack of noticing progress. I can’t help but to evaluate my current habits, to make sure I’m taking the necessary steps I need to achieve my goal. I teach English during the day and play with the kids (in English) for about three hours at night. I try to speak Spanish in between with the professors at my school and my host parents after the kids go to bed, but I don’t know if that’s enough. I try to limit weekends with my American friends, and opt to stay home and watch TV in Spanish or talk with my Host Family instead. The only problem with that is that I can only speak English to the kids when they’re around and if I talk with the parents around the kids, it will most likely be in English.

I have noticed that I’ve picked up on more “common” vocabulary and expressions that are used in informal conversations, so that’s a plus. But my main concern is being able to speak and communicate with native speakers on any subject without hesitation, insecurity or frustration. In the next couple of weeks I will be working to incorporate more ways to get absorbed in the language and I’ll keep you posted.  
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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousNovember 11, 2010 at 3:50 AM

    I have lived in Spain for a total of 11 months so far, have a Spanish boyfriend, and I consider myself semi-fluent. I mean, I have no problem understanding and conversing, even if people are talking fast. I understand the television (if I concentrate, there's the key) and most of the radio (except soccer games, haha). I think that once you get to a point where you're quite good, the progress stops seeming so noticeable. However, when you look back in May or June at this point, I bet you'll see progress. :)

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