We arrived in Monterrey (Nuevo León, Mexico) a little over a week ago and to say I'm overwhelmed might be an understatement. Despite previous visits to various states in Mexico (as a tourist) nothing can prepare a Spanish language deficient gringo like myself for an extended stay. It is a great benefit that my husband's first language is Spanish. Otherwise, I'd be lost.
There's no telling how long we'll be here. I am hoping that it will be long enough--for my sake--to become fully immersed and at least understand a bit more than I do now. There are lots of benefits to being here aside from the cultural intrigue and change of physical scenery. I hope to write more about both items moving forward. For now, I'll just say "welcome to our adventure" and stay tuned. It's definitely going to be an interesting journey!
Before my search for perfect tamales commences, I'll share some insights about learning another language...and what teaching English to non-English speakers has taught me through all these years as an ESOL instructor. First, never disparage anyone for speaking broken English when they are trying to communicate with you. Think about this. In how many languages are you fluent? The mere fact that someone is trying to communicate with you in your language is respectful and deserves to be honored--not disparaged. Second, exercise patience and put on your "teacher" hat (even if you aren't officially recognized as one--we're all teachers) if the person trying to communicate with you is struggling. It will be greatly appreciated. If you can't communicate with simple words in their language, there's always Google Translate and several other helpful apps. Third, use the experience as an opportunity to learn something about another language and culture that is different than yours. It's true that if the predominant language in a country is something other than your own, assimilation is expected and often necessary. However, there are many factors to consider when teaching: educational level in the speaker's experience, age of the speaker (yes, I'm perfect proof that it's more difficult to learn at an advanced age--but not impossible), learners environment (many speakers are more comfortable if they've found a community where their first language is spoken predominantly--therefore making it less necessary to learn) and the personality of the learner. If one is shy and introverted in one's own language, it stands to reason that it will only be amplified while taking on the immensity of tackling a new language. And my last piece of advice that I hope to model myself while attempting to learn Spanish...have fun. Laughter is the universal language. Sometime, the confusion and mistakes can actually be funny. Use this humor to lighten the experience.
Wish me luck as I embark on becoming a student...at fifty-eight years of age! I hope I can find some patient teachers!
