Language enables you to make connections. Whether it be with people, places, time periods – it finds a way to tie everything together. That’s why I learned Spanish.
It was my grandfather’s first language. I didn’t know that, nor realize it growing up. My first encounter with the language was seeing my mom and my older sister doing their homework for their classes at Instituto Cervantes.
Intrigued, I decided I wanted to learn. (Or maybe I just wanted to be a part. When you’re younger, you tend to follow what you see your older siblings doing. Go figure.) So with my Powerpuff Girls notebook open, my mom began teaching me the basics. She had grown up with the language. My lolo had made the effort to speak to her and her brothers in Spanish when they were younger, but eventually he gave up when they would continually respond in English.
Our sessions soon graduated to me alternating summers and school years between lessons with a private tutor or classes at Instituto Cervantes. I never got to practice with my lolo. He passed away not long after I started learning. I did, however, get to practice with Lita, his mom – my bisabuela. She would come to Manila or we would visit her in Dumaguete, and there were times I would try telling her about my day in the Spanish I could muster.
I ended up taking a minor in Spanish at university, then moving there for a year after graduation to really learn the language. I continued classes after coming back to Manila, making it up to C1.3 at Instituto Cervantes.
Fast forward to life in Valencia, and I finally took the DELE Course for C1 before applying for citizenship. Later on in life, I realised this was a practical reason as to why I learned Spanish. (NOTE: you can get citizenship with the A2 certification.)
One of my favorite parts about learning a language is finding the connections between different languages. It astounds me how seeing elements of a language changes the way you think about things. Or how something said in a different language can carry a whole other wave of emotion.
I’m not sure what it was exactly about the Spanish language that captivated me when I was 7. Now, I realize it’s a way for me to feel connected to both my lolo and Lita. But then? It remains a mystery.
One thing’s for sure though. At 7, my interest for language was sparked and the goal to learn more of them and achieve fluency is something I’ll constantly be working on.