To be a second language learner

 About 36 years ago, I had the opportunity to live in Mexico for two years.  I didn't know what to expect.  I didn't know Spanish.  I had never left the United States before.  What would happen was a life changing experience.  

When I was in high school, I took two years of Spanish.  Learning by flashcards and just using the language in the classroom wasn't the best practice for me.  I only remembered a couple few words.  They were words of activities I enjoyed- fishing.  Agua, lago and pez.  One can't get too far in Mexico with that vocabulary.  

Flying into the city of Veracruz is a memory I'll never forget.  The vast Gulf of Mexico stretching out into the distance.  The coconut trees.  The security guards on the roof of the airport with their semi-auto rifles.  I wondered at the time what I had gotten myself into.  Nothing I had done in my life prior to this time could have prepared me for the next two years. 

The first town that I lived in, once arriving in Veracruz, was the capital city of Xalapa.  It is a beautiful tropical mountain forest.  The people were welcoming, inviting and very kind.  They took a young man that only knew very little about their language and culture in as one of them. 

I was the only English speaker around.  I had to learn Spanish in order to survive, and be able to work.  It was a huge learning curve.  Every day that came and went, I learned more about the people, their way of life and how to talk with them.  

One morning at breakfast, I was offered some very flavorful salsa.  Our "mom" put the small bowl in front of me with a big smile on her face, so I could taste it and so she could get a good chuckle from me getting red faced with the spices.  It may have happened, just like she wanted.  The thing that no one expected, even me, was that I liked it and asked for more.  She was happy that this American kid was willing to try new things, and wasn't going to let a little heat stop him from enjoying the flavors and experience of being in a new place. 

After that, they told me that it was always a fun prank to pull on the new Americans that ventured into the area.  They would tell them that the more chili they ate, the better their Spanish would be.  It usually just made the Americans breathe fire and be afraid of the food.  Not for me.  I loved it, and that was the end of trying to get me to be totally spiced out.  

Since those first days in Mexico, I have gone on to learn Spanish.  I have earned a BA in Spanish, MS in Bilingual Education, an EdS in Executive Education.  I also have earned 36 graduate credits in Spanish Literature. 

I am still learning about the Spanish language.  I use it almost every day in work and my life.  I now work with English Language Learners.  It is my goal to provide them opportunities to learn English, so that they can better their situations, here in the United States.  

Through speaking a second language, one learns to read the word and the world.  I have been able to make connections that would not have been available to me otherwise.  I am a second language learner.  I know the stuggles and joys of being in a new place, not knowing the local language.