I never felt confident in speaking the Spanish language. I was never able to pronounce the “r” or make my pronunciations sound like a native speaker. I chose to study in Spain to immerse myself in the language and perfect my grammar. The only thing I didn’t really think about was the difference in Mexican Spanish and Spain Spanish. It was only when I ordered food in Spanish that I realized that there were many significant differences.
The first difference I noticed was the difference in pronouncing my name. In Mexico, we pronounce it A-lee-SEE-uh, but in Spain, we pronounce it A-lee-THEE-uh. I used to struggle with having a lisp, so I became afraid of it coming back. There are many different Spanish dialects around the world; even in Spain itself, there are many regional dialects.
Another difference I noticed was the idioms. As I was reading through a list of idioms for class, I was shocked to find out that I did not understand any of them. I find it interesting that even though a country may share a language with another, the phrases can be totally different. I think my biggest problem was using the word “vosostro”. I would read articles with the word “vosotro” but hearing it spoken confuses me.
I think there is something about my pronunciations that gives the way the fact that I am American. When I speak to people in Spanish, they switch over to English instead. It makes me feel embarrassed that my pronunciations may not be as good as I thought it was. That doesn’t stop me from trying though; I continue to try speaking the language.
My biggest roadblock with practicing Spanish was when I went to the hospital. For the past few weeks, I felt very sick and I was unable to walk without pain in my legs. I decided to finally go to the doctor to see what was wrong with me. This is when I realized that I do not know any medical terms. While I was waiting in line, I decided to google some phrases to explain my condition. While I knew how to say basic phrases like “my throat hurts”, I was unable to fully explain how I felt. Luckily, the nurses had patience with me, and I was able to finish my sentences.
The next barrier after that was going to get my prescription at the pharmacy. I tried searching online for the names of the medications because they were different from the ones back in the States. I was taken to multiple Spanish websites, which made my research complicated. Luckily, the pharmacist spoke English and thoroughly explained how to take the many different medications.
The biggest lesson I learned this week was to continue trying even if you’re uncomfortable. I met students from my intercambio program who made me feel comfortable with making mistakes. After all, we are all here to learn a language that is different from ours.
Ali's Adventures Abroad 