Levanta la voz.: Explodar

“[you need to have] extreme confidence rooted in real world experience and extreme humility.”

I believe this quote was also taken from a speaker I was listening to at the AshokaU conference this past semester, but I currently can’t recall who said it. With that said, credit goes to an anonymous extraordinary.

Where the Spanish happens (mostly).

Extreme confidence rooted in real world experience. This concept can apply to each and every one of us in so many contexts. As I continue on in my life I think I will be able to apply much deeper reflections to this idea, but right now I am experiencing this challenge in regards to language and adaptation to a new culture.

What does it take to learn a new language in an unfamiliar place? I was helping Kurt come up with examples of what learning a new language is like so here’s a start. Those of you who have experienced this can add your own comparisons. Learning a language is like:

A bad pun- It’s frustratingly awesome

and

A headlamp- It’s extremely useful…if you remember it

Note: I am not a cowboy's fan but I can work as hard as a cowboy studying Spanish.

Learning a new language also takes a lot of confidence and a lot of humility. I cannot learn if I do not listen and I cannot learn if I refuse to speak. Every day it takes a lot of confidence for me to open up my mouth and know that my teacher, my host mom, and my friends are all going to correct me multiple times. Frustrating? YES. Loving and also very important? YES. So it has its benefits but there is a delicate balance between learning and assuaging my own frustrations. I absolutely love learning a new language, but there have been times when it became necessary for me to ask my teacher the word for explode because at that point in time I needed to explain to her that “Despues de estudiar los verbos irregulares, mi cabeza va a explodar.” Even now I don’t know if I said that correctly, but I basically told her that “After studying irregular verbs my head is going to explode.” Fun! Now on to humility!

Humility (adjectival form: humble) is the quality of being modest and respectful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humility (I know wikipedia is the most reliable source on the internet so I figured I should use it)

Humility is a good trait to practice and have no matter what the situation. We could all benefit from cultivating a bit of humility. I have found it especially relevant as I am learning Spanish because for one, I couldn’t be arrogant in the language if I wanted to. I also have to openly express where I am lacking in knowledge, what I need to learn, what I didn’t practice but should have, and so on. It’s a bit crazy feeling like the person who really just doesn’t know anything but I also kind of love it because it means I have so much to learn! I’ve had to practice this as well in regards to culture. I’m always wondering “Is this question appropriate to ask?” “Is it rude that I’m too full to finish all of my chicken?” “Oh crap, should I have said usted instead of tu?” These questions seem a little ridiculous, but it can be hard to navigate everyday situations in a completely new culture without feeling like you may have done something you shouldn’t have. Even so, I’m having a glorious time (a fellow student Andrew is rubbing off on me “It was glorious!”). And with the glorious time I’ve been having comes photos.