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 4th and 5th 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.

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