Español

Taking on the Spanish language...no pasa nada.

During my previous trips to Spain, I experienced a few mishaps regarding the language.

Taking on another language will make you have some foolish moments. Some you're not proud of, some that are great stories to laugh about, and some that will put you in very awkward situations.

I've been stuck on balconies, almost thrown off horses, and walked in circles around cities because of my Spanish.
I've told people I 'needed a man' instead of I was hungry, married instead of tired, and pregnant instead of embarrassed. 

Helpful hint: ayudar, (the verb 'to help') should be conjugated when yelling that you need help. Otherwise you're just screaming, "to help! to help!" and you seem, well, loco.

Children who saved me from the runaway horse. Not my proudest moment.

My resolution this year is fluency by 25 years old. That gives me a full two years to embarrass myself a little more, but also become muy seriousa about the Spanish language. I've been studying this summer, and will begin taking classes in my spare time to study the language seriously.  

Castellano, or, Castilian Spanish, is the main language spoken in Spain and what I have been learning. Basque is spoken in the northern Basque country of Spain. Catalan, which to me sounds like a cross of Spanish and French, is spoken on a lot of the Eastern coast of Spain. Galician is similar to Portuguese, and spoken mainly in, you guessed it, Galicia. And of course there are many more languages and dialects spoken throughout the country. Phrases said in each region, and accents that differ across the country, just as ours in the US. 

The most important phrase I have learned so far... "no pasa nada" (don't worry) reminds me to keep a positive outlook on my language acquisition process. Gone is the Spanish blubbering fool, and here to stay is the serious Spanish speaker!