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.
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