Lupe's Corner ~ Language Immersion in a Foreign Country

It is quite common to feel awkward on the first day of Spanish classes when studying in an immersion environment. However it is important to embrace the unease you feel in struggling with your communication skills and understand it is part of the learning experience. 

You must force yourself to overcome the difficulty when it comes to speaking only in Spanish if you never have before. This is essential in the classroom, while speaking with your host family members, and also locals around town. Lupe's story discusses her experience learning a language through immersion and real life experiences while in school. 

There I was, like a fish out of the water, in the middle of the classroom with about 60 English speaking students. It was my first college semester and it was my first law class in the United States. My English was rusty and my confidence low. The thought of participating in class or having to give a speech was beyond my dreams.   When I decided to move to the United States, I never considered cultural differences. Luckily for me, I learn fast and the first semester in college proved to be beneficial.

As customary, the first day of classes the teacher passed out the syllabus, reviewed the information and laid out the rules for the class. I was terrified and I was overwhelmed. Everything seemed to be going so fast.  I did not want to ask questions like everyone else because 1) I had never been encouraged in the Mexican schools to participate in class and 2) my English was pretty basic.  A week went by and the teacher gave us a quiz  in class which I flunked. I remember feeling embarrassed.  

All classmates were comparing their results with each. I however was not about to show them  my "2 out 10" good answers. I also felt like the unluckiest person in the world. How could I not manage to at least guess 50 percent of the questions? I was so down on myself that I decided to talk to the teacher and explain my situation.

I told him about my basic understanding of English.  He looked at me and said “Ignorance of is not an excuse. Your responsibility was to read the syllabus  and learn the material. ”  At that point I felt like I was about to strangle the teacher, but I knew he was right and I had to get over my fear of speaking in front of class when I had questions or to make sure to read all information I received from the teachers.  

If my school life was complicated, my social life was more confusing. I wanted to have friends who only spoke English but I did not know how to talk to them. Most of my friends from the US were interesting, I thought, but I had nothing in common. I always admired Americans because from very young ages they learn how to swim, ski, etc. I on the other hand with my very traditional Mexican background I learned to be afraid of almost anything that moved. 

Thankfully, I was eager to learn and I had good teachers. My American friends taught me the value of coming to this country to go to school. I was also able to complete my language immersion experience and learn another language other than Spanish. At the end of the semester, I finally begin to open myself up to other experiences and with more confidence I was able to continue school successfully.  

All in all it has been an amazing ride. The first semester in school was pivotal for my personal growth. I learned quickly the value of the American culture, as well as my own Mexican culture, and how to combine the best of the two, despite my fears.