Today we finished week two of Spanish school, and I must admit, I feel a little bewildered. Learning another language is the most difficult thing I have ever tried to do. I cannot believe the sheer volume of information necesary to converse and understand how to communicate with others. There is no feeling more frustrating than not being able to accurately express how you are feeling, because you do not have the words (I sometimes wonder if I feel this more intensely than others, based entirely on my tendency to speak constantly and express how I am feeling in English?). We have been meeting people from all over the world, many of whom speak English, in addition to their home language, and often times additional languages (ie Spanish or Portugese). This experience has made me feel ashamed on more than one occasion to be a Canadian who does not (even remotely) speak French, when we live in a bilingual country (people ask all the time if we speak French). I don't know if the difference is in the school system in Canada versus other countries, or a sense that because we speak English, we don't need to speak additional languages. Regardless, this week I have a new appreciation for those who makethe effort to learn additional languages. Because it is hard. Really hard.
My brain hurts.
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