Language progression…

We went on a hike a few days ago. Some of the best hikes are those that end with cold, cold beers afterwards (I now understand why after hiking the volcano at home as kids, the grownups so delighted in stopping at the rum shop at the bottom of the hike for a Carib). As we were all sitting around the table I found myself starting to translate into English. I wasn’t sure why I was doing it, perhaps to confirm that I was understanding?, but I found that it was extremely tiring trying to think in my native language. What a bizarre thought. It was only a few seconds of doing it but it was as though a little light bulb went off, confirming to me that I do in fact understand a good amount of Spanish. Obviously I already knew this (and yet continue to doubt myself) but it was quite funny that I got excited at the realisation. Talk about being a few months behind… When I’m speaking it is different, particularly when I’m trying to express something more complex. I automatically revert to thinking in English and trying to translate directly (it usually doesn’t work but luckily all of my friends also speak English so we can get there in the end). I find it fascinating that my brain is able to cope with the change but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves – I absolutely still get things wrong with both my speaking and comprehension but the latter can really can depend on the speaker or their accent. A few nights ago, whilst unable to take part as much as I would have liked in a conversation due to not knowing enough about politics in Spain, I still understood what was being spoken about. And yet a day later when someone asked me if I ever make iced coffee with the Italian moka machine (the stovetop one, something I own and know how to use) I had no clue as to what he was asking and for a solid 30 seconds looked at him as though he had asked me something which required a really detailed and well thought out response. For the record, I don’t use the moka to make iced coffee (but wouldn’t be opposed) but coffee (from a cafetière) that’s been left over from breakfast with iced added makes iced coffee so there we go. Anyway… ups and downs as usual. I’m taking an exam to test my level next week so let’s see how that goes. I can’t say I’m loving the prep classes… If you ever need a way to feel bad about yourself (or your language skills to be more specific) try taking an exam…

I suppose I ought to get back to studying…