My Top Five Ways to Learn a New Language.

So I have been in the Dominican Republic for 3 and a half years. Some people such as my mom might lie to you and tell you that I am fluent in Spanish, but a true Spanish speaker would know better. Now, I believe my Spanish has improved from being here and today I'm going to share the best ways to learn a language.

The very best way to learn a language is to date or marry a person who speaks that language as their first language. An added bonus would be if they don't speak any English. Dominicans date Americans to get a visa, we date them for the language. Win-win right? No this is not an engagement announcement, I chose to go the harder/more conventional/slower route, but for those of you who want to learn fast.... ;)

1. Uber Drivers- So, if you know me, you know that I have fallen in love with UBER. Hey, I actually bought my very first smartphone (last year) because of UBER.  Anyways, UBER trips are the very best way to practice your Spanish. #1 if you mess up, you will never see them again so it is okay to embarrass yourself. It is a one-on-one conversation, so there won't be a lot of added noise or conversation. Also, drivers are paid to be nice. Riders rate them at the end of the trip, so basically they have to converse with you  and not say anything bad about your Spanish. Use the advantage! Finally there is so much tapon (traffic), that conversing is better than sitting awkwardly in bumper to bumper traffic for an hour. I've had many interesting conversations from types of music, to Dominican driving to favorite cities in the D.R.

2. Order Pizza on the phone- So when I arrived, my conversational skills were definitely at their lowest. I struggled understanding people and had to see their lips. My biggest challenge was phone calls. I couldn't understand anything anyone said because I couldn't see them. I decided that in order to overcome that challenge I would practice by ordering pizza by the phone. It was the easiest way to start because I could see the menu and knew the basic questions that they might ask such as toppings or my address. My first phone call was definitely a little rocky and it took them a long time to find my house after my shaky directions, but an hour later a pepperoni pizza arrived at my door. Success!
Now, I feel much more confident on the phone and have even branched out to phone calls to the bank as well as scheduling doctor's appointments. Calling medical facilities are definitely most challenging as the medical Spanish terms is a whole different type of Spanish. I had someone recently give me the phone to ask questions for them and after completing the transaction I told them that they should order a pizza sometime ;)

3. One-on-one conversations- Recently, I was up on a mountain overlooking Jarabacoa and had the opportunity to sit for an hour and talk to a Dominican as we watched the sunset. My phone had died, but being "untethered" was sorta beautiful. We watched the sun set behind the mountains turning them purple. We also got to watch planes take off from the airport some 45 minutes away. He pointed out the different lights and explained the different towns that we could see. When I got to the bottom of the mountain, I was asked if I was angry it had taken so long for them to send a vehicle up the mountain for us, but really I could have stayed up there another hour. It felt so majestic and was such a great time to learn Spanish. I didn't have any distractions and time to really submerge into the environment around me.

4. Church -I went to an English church in the spring that I loved, but I felt like I was missing so much of my Spanish learning. Church is the place that I grow the most in my Spanish. Since I was raised in the church I am familiar with the Bible and its passages and so through listening to Spanish sermons I gain new vocabulary. Also, I love worshipping in Spanish because it reminds me that God is not limited to one language.

5. Always be willing to be made a fool- I think the hardest part about learning a new language is that you are so incredibly vulnerable. I dislike being made to look a fool so I don't like talking to people who are fluent in both English and Spanish. I think though, just like in all things in order to improve at something we have to try, we have to fail and we have to get back up.

Sticky Hands, Dirty Knees, Full Hearts

Our school uniforms are white..or at least they used to be. I have approximately 7 uniform shirts and not a single one is completely white anymore. Though, looking at my shirts hanging in my closet, I think they give a better representation of my life as a first grade teacher better than any diary.

They range from paint stains to playdough stains, to dry erase markers that erroneously marked my shirt rather than the board. I have pen ink stains.  I have dirt marks from students giving me hugs during recess or  just using my shirt as a napkin. I have blood stains from carrying students to the nurse and tear stains that have long since dried, but still leave a salty residue.  There is also the sweat stains in each one of my shirts, from chasing students around at recess, from exercises every morning to count to 100 days of school and challenging any student who dares to a tricycle race. Yes, this is the life of a teacher. 

I had a parent once tell me that being a teacher was super easy. All you had to do was print a worksheet off a computer and voila you are a teacher. I felt like laughing in response. Yes, it is easy to find materials on the internet to use and most people could do that, but that is such a small part of our role. We are not only instructors, but planners, advocates, nurses, lawyers, polices and surrogate parents. During the 8 hours the students are in the classroom, they are OURS. 

Today/tonight we had our annual Christmas concert. After weeks and weeks of practice our students were finally ready. Sitting in the midst of my students, I felt pride for all they had accomplished. Concert days are rough because our students have to sit in a chair for hours on end without getting up and roaming and it is very difficult for their little bodies to handle. Sitting with them though in this non academic time I got to appreciate how much impact we have as teachers and it was humbling. 

I had the opportunity to sit with one of my more active boys this evening, mainly to make sure he stayed in his seat. At the beginning of the night, I was sort of dreading this assignment knowing his antsiness would make my job near impossible, but it actually was a great growing experience for me and I realized how much I love the little dude.  It was about the time that he curled into my lap to hide his eyes in my hair from the strobe lights, that I became "fierce mama bear." Realizing he had little control over his behavior and that he was doing his best to sit still, but was having difficulty because of the techno and length of the evening, I decided to help him out the best I could. We told jokes, danced together in our seats and ate peppermint kisses out of my purse. 

I'm not an artist. I'm not a dancer. I cannot sing. I do not have any sort of fashion sense. I'm awful with directions. But I can teach and for me I've realized that's enough.