24 Surprises Spanish Has Given Me

Photo by: Simon Blackley

Lately, my perspective on the Spanish language has been enlarged by my evolving use of it. I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic about how being bilingual has allowed me to grow. Despite the occasional frustrations and cultural misunderstandings, Spanish has given me:

1. An ear for the rhythm of the spoken word
2. A new medium to enjoy jokes and share funny moments with my family
3. A Spanish language mode on every technological device I own
4. An appreciation for the difficulty of pronouncing “th” in English
5. The fresh joy on some people’s faces when they find out I can speak their language
6. More than one tongue-tied moment
7. The frustration of smart phone auto-correct in more than one language
8. A constant reminder of why it’s important to be humble
9. A more complex understanding of racial and cultural relations
10. Fluid concepts of the most basic things and ideas
11. An inner dialogue of idiomatic phrases that I will probably never understand completely
12. A love for how silence can be used in a loud language
13. A LARGE food vocabulary
14. Something to talk about with other moms I meet
15. Sheer amazement at so many children’s comfort level with two languages
16. Double the music collection
17. Less of a desire to eavesdrop, but more of an ability to do so
18. Fearlessness
19. An acumen for typing Spanish accent commands
20. A window into the world of immigrants in America
21. A renewed desire to refresh my Italian skills and learn a 4^th and 5^th language down the road
22. An interest in the need for quality bilingual children’s literature
23. The ability to laugh at myself over and over again
24. A great virtual community, namely SpanglishBaby!

Whether you are a native speaker or learned Spanish later in life, take a moment to share what Spanish has given you.