Spanish Immersion

I'm learning Spanish now. I guess the Spanish word of the day might be a clue. My husband is from Buenos Aires, Argentina and Spanish is his native language. He's assisting me with my studies. We're going start speaking Spanish at home as exclusively as possible to aid in my learning and retention. I'm kind of scared, more nervous really. I know that I can do it, but I'm just a little worried about making a fool of myself in the process. I guess it's better to go through this now with my husband than in front of someone else. We're hoping to go to Argentina to visit his parents next year and I would really like to be able to talk to them and understand what's going on around me.

That brings me to one of my pet peeves. I despise people who travel to a foreign country and assume that the people there should speak their language rather than taking the time to learn the language of the country they're visiting. You will generally be better-received if they see that you're making an effort to speak to them in their own language even if you're reading from a phrase book. Put yourself on the other side of the conversation. Would you rather listen to someone speaking a language that you don't comprehend, or have someone making an effort to speak to you so that you'll understand? I guess that's enough for now.

I'm excited about learning Spanish! I know it sounds cheesy, but it's the truth. It will help me in the long run, even here in the US. We have a large Spanish-speaking population here in Arkansas. Also, if I speak Spanish fluently, I get extra pay at work. Extra money is always a plus.