language aquisition
my first foray into language immersion has provided me with my first interesting insight into traveling in a foreign country. i came into ecuador with a solid background in spanish gained from numerous spanish classes and a couple summers swapping stories with restaurant workers in san francisco. i would say that i entered ecuador with an advanced speaking capability.
the first second you step off the plane creates a strong sentiment of ´´ok vamos a hablar´adrendalin pumping. however you inevitably end up botching your first attempt at communicating with a native speaker. my first forray was with a young woman at the passaport checking desk some know as ´customs´. i had my speech all prepared in my mind-a nice greeting followed by casual small talk. i waited my turn and as soon as i walked up to the desk i opened my mouth to a thunderous rendition of ´uh, um, hola, como esta usted, que, um que tal.´her answer? ´welcome to ecuador sir.´hilar right?
after my first botched attempt though, i have since impoved considerably. (Hey what do you know I figured out the whole capital letter thing. Apparently Ecuadorian keyboards capitalize with the right side shift insted of the left). One of the most interesting aspects of speaking in Spanish constantly is that your conversations with people start to become infinitely more real in your mind. For example, after spending last weekend partying with some of our Ecuadorian friends, I have little memories that are exclusively in Spanish or English. All of my memories of our conversations, which ranged from Ecuadorian customs surrounding dancing, to me proclaiming myself the ¨Chorizo of San Francisco¨ at the end of the night, solely are memories of interaction with no specific qualification attached. My Spanish teacher once told me that language aquisition is an ability to capture reality, and this opinion has since become much more clear to me. Think of it this way- when you remember a beautiful sight that you have seen-whether it be a mountain sunset, morning sunrise over a lake, or a panoramic view of a city, etc. you never think in your mind specific english adjectives. You only remember the scene and what you took away from it. After being immersed in a Spanish speaking culture for two weeks I have since come to believe that this memory quality applies not just to scenes, but conversations as well. I dont remember my coversations anymore as being English translations, but more of experiences unto which I can ascribe particular qualities. Once one feels comfortable with a new language, conversations take on this more scenic quality. It is for this reason that many people who first become comfortable with a new language report dreams in their new language.
Anyway sorry for the rambling quality of this entry as I am still adjusting to this whole blog experience, but I will improve. More to come.
the first second you step off the plane creates a strong sentiment of ´´ok vamos a hablar´adrendalin pumping. however you inevitably end up botching your first attempt at communicating with a native speaker. my first forray was with a young woman at the passaport checking desk some know as ´customs´. i had my speech all prepared in my mind-a nice greeting followed by casual small talk. i waited my turn and as soon as i walked up to the desk i opened my mouth to a thunderous rendition of ´uh, um, hola, como esta usted, que, um que tal.´her answer? ´welcome to ecuador sir.´hilar right?
after my first botched attempt though, i have since impoved considerably. (Hey what do you know I figured out the whole capital letter thing. Apparently Ecuadorian keyboards capitalize with the right side shift insted of the left). One of the most interesting aspects of speaking in Spanish constantly is that your conversations with people start to become infinitely more real in your mind. For example, after spending last weekend partying with some of our Ecuadorian friends, I have little memories that are exclusively in Spanish or English. All of my memories of our conversations, which ranged from Ecuadorian customs surrounding dancing, to me proclaiming myself the ¨Chorizo of San Francisco¨ at the end of the night, solely are memories of interaction with no specific qualification attached. My Spanish teacher once told me that language aquisition is an ability to capture reality, and this opinion has since become much more clear to me. Think of it this way- when you remember a beautiful sight that you have seen-whether it be a mountain sunset, morning sunrise over a lake, or a panoramic view of a city, etc. you never think in your mind specific english adjectives. You only remember the scene and what you took away from it. After being immersed in a Spanish speaking culture for two weeks I have since come to believe that this memory quality applies not just to scenes, but conversations as well. I dont remember my coversations anymore as being English translations, but more of experiences unto which I can ascribe particular qualities. Once one feels comfortable with a new language, conversations take on this more scenic quality. It is for this reason that many people who first become comfortable with a new language report dreams in their new language.
Anyway sorry for the rambling quality of this entry as I am still adjusting to this whole blog experience, but I will improve. More to come.
posted by ecuadortraveler at 7:27 AM
1 Comments:
to me proclaiming myself the ¨Chorizo of San Francisco¨
HAHAHHAHAHA. Couldn't be more dead on. San Francisco is in need of some Chorizo. Maybe come visit sometime.
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