I've been living in Guatemala for about 8 months, and I have 19 months left of my service. That can seem intimidating to live in a new country, speak a new language, follow new customs, and make a serious commitment. However, pushing yourself is how you grow. Since starting my adventure, I've had the pleasure of meeting so many new people, working with my jóvenes, trying new foods, and participating in different celebrations. Plus, my Spanish has grown significantly.
One of the biggest reasons I became a Peace Corps volunteer, aside from helping others, was to become fluent in Spanish. The hardest part of learning a language is that sometimes you need to embrace the native culture and live in that community for it really to "click." As I've tried to show with our time together, to really know a language is to be able to see it as it is, without trying to translate. Spending all this time immersed in Spanish has made it easier to pick up and become conversational. I've spent at least 5 years learning Spanish throughout college, high school, and middle school. I could barely speak because there is a difference between speaking for class and almost speaking it 24/7. However, the huge difference is that it isn't comfortable. I can remember spending long days during Peace Corps training, and my brain feels numb from translating. It was worth the pain, and now I can teach classes in another language.
