I wanted to say that since I started learning Spanish in February last year, the impact learning Spanish has had on me is incredible. Last year I moved to Peru to be with my (now ex) boyfriend and I wanted a chance to live somewhere new and learn something new after graduating university. And boy, that was SUCH a cracking decision - while in Peru I was exposed to Spanish 24/7, and I don't think I'd be at the level I am now without that kind of immersion. I'm definitely not fluent in Spanish yet but I'd say I'm around a B2ish level.
But I realised what learning a language has taught me the most is patience, and that hard work doesn't always yield immediate results - you have to wait for it. Before learning Spanish I was quite an impatient person and I would say relied a lot on immediate satisfaction to fulfil myself. But obviously it doesn't work that way with learning a language - stuff can take a long time to click sometimes, and it can be incredibly frustrating when that happens, because you feel like you're getting nowhere - but then at some point you realise that what was difficult 6 months ago is now easy as pie. And oh my GOD, that feeling is so satisfying.
The effect of learning to be patient though has also extended beyond learning Spanish though - since moving back to my country, I've also started to become a healthier person - I rarely eat chocolate nowadays (my one true vice) and go the gym 3-5 times a week, and walk 2 hours a day to work and back. I realised that like with learning Spanish, if I want something, I can get it, but I have to be patient and put the work in, rather than expecting things to just happen to me.
I ended up leaving Peru a couple months ago to return to my home country to pursue my career, but Spanish is now such a part of my life that I could never give it up. This year I vowed to only read books in Spanish, and that vow is still going strong, but now I don't think I could ever go back to reading English books. I watch the news in Spanish because I've realised what they report has such a different and more objective perspective on the political stuff going on in my own country. I mainly watch Spanish TV because I think to myself - why should I default to English? I've really gotten into 80s Spanish pop music because I love that genre in English. Spanish podcasts are now my saving grace when I have some downtime at work. I don't see myself stopping any of that in the future.
So I wanted to say a little thank you to this community - while in Peru there were times when I felt super frustrated at my progress, and I would often come here and browse posts for inspiration and for a laugh, and without you guys, maybe my life wouldn't have changed for the better this way :)
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from Aloha | Languagelearning https://ift.tt/2NhzVh0
via Learn Online English Speaking
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