I took Spanish at Dartmouth (and two years of Spanish in high school), but have not ever spoken or used Spanish outside of a classroom setting. Aside from English, Spanish is the only language I have pursued, academically or otherwise. I have a tough time learning languages, compared to other subjects, I think because it takes a while for me to memorize things. I learn grammar fairly quickly and enjoy seeing patterns in language, but any sort of vocab memorization is difficult for me. That being said, I still feel that I understand Spanish decently well, enough that I can understand general ideas and meanings when it is both spoken and written. It sometimes takes a bit to jog my memory before I get myself back up to speed, which is why I am happy that this class involves some readings in Spanish.

I do enjoy learning new languages, and wish that I had more opportunities to learn them, but unfortunately my schedule is so packed with other things that I want to do that I doubt I will ever become fully bilingual or trilingual unless I live abroad in a country that does not speak English. I think that being immersed in Spanish while in Nicaragua will be really good for me in terms of showing me what it is like to be conversational in another language when it is actually useful, and could potentially awaken a desire to continue learning spanish or pick up a new language. The only other non-English speaking country I have traveled to is Japan, and that trip was fairly short and while I was in middle school, so Nicaragua will be a unique experience in terms of language.

My goal for Spanish is to devote a bit of time before the trip to refreshing my memory and especially to speak it on occasion, so that I am not shocked when I arrive on the trip and am completely immersed. I also want to improve my accent and pronunciation, since I have no idea what it will be like to speak it with people who only know Spanish. I want to, on the trip, step out of my language shell and take advantage of the opportunity to speak with people and improve my skills. I am a bit worried that I will come across as silly or uneducated, but am also excited to make a full of myself by putting myself out there.