My time in Barcelona was one of the most informative experiences of my life. I knew from the time that I learned about what studying abroad was, that I wanted to do it at some point in my college career. Upon deciding where I wanted to spend my semester, I did lots of research about the different location options and discovered that Barcelona was a tri-lingual city. It appealed to me that I would be able to speak Spanish, while learning Catalan, and would be able to use English if necessary. 

One of my main goals abroad was to improve my confidence in speaking Spanish with native speakers. I felt like my Spanish skills had greatly improved in the confines of a classroom through my classes. However, whenever I was presented with the opportunity to speak with a native speaker outside of the classroom, I would tense up, forget all of my Spanish skills, start to freak myself out, and eventually talk myself out of trying. I knew that being able to practice and speak with native speakers would improve my Spanish abilities drastically, but I couldn’t muster the confidence. It’s so funny because as a native English speaker, there has never been an occasion where a non-native speaker was talking to me and I couldn’t understand them because of a grammatical error or the incorrect word was used. I decided that if there was anywhere to practice my skills and be willing to make mistakes, it was going to be my 4 months in Spain. 

My first attempt was in the plane on the flight to Barcelona. The flight attendant responded to me in Spanish which was an immediate win. Though the beginning took some self-convincing and definitely tested those hesitant thoughts, I tried my Spanish with workers in stores, getting my morning coffee, with taxi drivers, and at the grocery store. To my surprise, it was completely fine! 

I began to become more comfortable testing it when I didn’t need to, but rather practicing my conversational skills whenever possible. Any taxi rides I would ask the drivers about their life and if they’ve lived in Barcelona for a while. I found that these conversations offered me an insight into the city that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. I learned about the local spots for food and dancing and local events that I should visit. I learned the incredible life stories of many different people and was able to connect with them through language in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to if I had only spoken English. 

There was a coffee shop down the street from my apartment in Barcelona that my roommates and I often visited. It became a daily tradition, so I decided to start conversing with the two owners of the shop. First it was quick exchanges but soon it became part of my routine to get my morning coffee and talk with Sofia and Andres about their life and their business. I still regard that as one of my most treasured memories of my abroad experience.

Taking that leap of faith and testing my speaking skills proved to provide me with so much more beyond just being able to communicate. It served as a helpful skill to my friends who didn’t speak Spanish, offered me a unique insight into the city, and helped me feel more connected to the city I was living in temporarily. 

Reflecting on my experience, I’m so glad that I tested my abilities because I feel like I accomplished exactly what I had hoped for. I was able to eliminate the self-induced pressure of speaking my imperfect Spanish and focus on attempting what I already knew. I learned to circumlocute and was not afraid to ask what a word was in Spanish if I forgot it and I knew that the person I was speaking with also spoke English. 

I could tell that people appreciated the effort, even if my Spanish wasn’t perfect. They could tell I was putting in effort and, despite my warped thinking before, no one ever judged me. It was empowering and validating to realize that my Spanish skills actually were more advanced than I thought and it put all the years of practice in the classroom to use in real life scenarios. 

Upon returning home, I began to work at a restaurant where much of the kitchen and wait staff were native Spanish speakers. If I had worked there prior to abroad, I would have talked myself out of even trying to communicate with them. However, because of my practice in Spain, I had the confidence to speak with my coworkers and it created a bond with them that I don’t think I would have had otherwise. We created friendships, and I felt a connection with them through language that was so special. They were able to communicate with me freely and comfortably without having to worry about their “perfect” English, and I was getting practice at home with people I loved talking to. 
I am so grateful for my time abroad, for many reasons. I was able to travel the world and meet interesting people and communicate with them- which was so amazing. I think this is what I always wanted out of my Spanish degree. The ability to connect to a whole new part of the world. And to learn about people’s stories, in their language.