I can’t believe that i’ve been abroad for a little over a month. I took a month long intensive Spanish class and I can honestly say that I can see major improvement in my ability to communicate. Before I came here I was a 2 on a scale from 0-10 and only knew how to say basic phrases, but now I am a solid 4 and I’m able to express my thoughts a little better. For example, I am able to talk with my host family about an array of topics and actually understand what they are saying and able to respond. At first, I found myself reverting to English when I got frustrated and didn’t want to sound stupid, but I realized that the reason that I am here is to improve and learn more Spanish; so, making mistakes and saying things wrong is a part of the learning process and that I will take time for me to get in the swing of things. The most important thing is to keep talking because that is the only way that I will learn Spanish is through trial and error. It also helps that I have people who are patient and will to help me with my Spanish. For the time that I’ve been living in Buenos Aires I haven’t found it any different from any other big city in the United States. In fact, I find it very similar to New York City, in the sense that there are a lot of people and both have a very large transportation system. Language hasn’t been too much of a factor when getting around the city, most of the time locals can tell if you are not from Argentina and are willing to speak English to help you with whatever you need. But it is definitely a learning curve to living here and I think I have been able to grasp them pretty quick. In the coming months I will travel more and experience many different people and things, which will allow me to expand my vocabulary and work towards becoming conversational in Spanish.
