Ever since I’ve arrived in Seville, I find that my Spanish gets better and better each and every day. It was kind of hard to get back into the swing of speaking Spanish again because my last Spanish class I took was in the beginning of sophomore year! I remember my first day here when I walked into a restaurant and found myself struggling to ask for a table. The waiter looked at me as I struggled to come up with the phrase. This was something I definitely knew how to say, but it took some digging to find it somewhere in the back of my mind. Eventually I gave up and asked him, “habla inglés” (do you speak english)?
Now, after being here for a little over a month, my Spanish has improved immensely. I find myself speaking full and coherent sentences without much thought. I like to practice speaking not only with my host family and friends, but sometimes just in my own head. When I walk to school in the morning, I choose a popular song and I try to translate it word for word (I obviously do this in my head, I don’t want people thinking I’m a crazy American reciting a spanglish version of “Hey Ya” or “Wake Me Up When September Ends”). Interestingly enough, I sometimes realize that I’ve been thinking in Spanish too, like when I am thinking of my plans for a night out with friends, “Necesito salir my casa antes de medianoche o yo llegaré muy tarde” (I need to leave my house before midnight or I will get there very late).
My favorite way to learn new words is to walk around the shopping areas and listen to people speak as I pass by them. When I went to get some gelato last week, I listened to the man in front of me order and I learned the word “cucurucho” which means ice cream cone. This word has definitely come in handy. Seriously, the amount of gelato I’ve eaten since I’ve been here is a secret which going with me to the grave.
This is a picture of the gelato from my favorite heladería, La Abuela.