I was born in Madrid, Spain. From the beginning my parents believed that learning another language was essential. Luckily I went to a school that offered optional English classes. In second grade I found myself muttering incoherent and meaningless sounds that would affect the direction of my entire life. The teacher, “el profe de inglés”, showed a small group of seven and eight year olds some cards with big pictures on them, little did I know…
By the time sixth grade came along, the first time that English was one of the mandatory subjects, I already had an advantage over most of my classmates. It wasn’t a great difference but I had already been exposed to English, I had learned substantial vocabulary, I knew a few sentences, but best of all for me, I loved English.
From sixth to eleventh grade English was always a part of my course work. In school the number of students in a class was always around forty. Unfortunately, that meant there was no time for English conversation, however the grammar and vocabulary that I learned was incredible. Big thanks go to my “profe de inglés”!
I was a quiet and shy child. When my parents heard about a program where I could spend a month in England, they were all over it. I imagine that they decided to send me more for the social opportunity than for the English experience. I was lucky that my parents were forward thinking and could afford it, but I was not much for the idea. Spending time away from family and friends and my comfort zone was not what I wanted. Eventually I was sent to Brighton, England. I lived with a family for a month during the summer between my sophomore and junior school years.
That was the first of many changes in my life to come. It was my first plane ride (I got so sick!), I met people that I still keep in touch with today, and I learned very LITTLE English because I hung out mostly with the other Spanish students. But…I discovered a world that I fell in love with, a world taking place around me that used other sounds and words, a world of different places, sights and smells. On a field trip to Oxford University, I remember thinking I would love to go there to study. Though I never made it to Oxford, that thought was a definite foreshadowing of things to come.
Arriving back in Spain, I was truly excited and awakened, a new feeling for me. School started again and my “profe de inglés” passed out a brochure for an exchange student program to the U.S. A small group of us decided that we wanted to do it, not aware of all that it implied we were excited to go home and tell our parents. The next day only two of us came back with smiles on our faces. Being just 16, my parents were not crazy about having me go so far away for so long, but to their credit they let me begin the selection process. As I completed each phase and the outcome was more certain, I found myself standing there incredulous that I was about to spend my senior year in an American high school. It was even more exciting after thinking about all that the American movies had “taught” me that high school would entail. During the plane ride to New York, my third plane ride, and hopefully one without use of the airsickness bag, I thought “what the #%@# am I doing?!”
My destination was New Jersey with a family that had a daughter a year younger than me. They were incredible. They picked me up from the airport, took me home and tried to make me as comfortable as they could. The only problem was that we could not understand each other. It was as if their English and mine were two completely different languages. I knew plenty of grammar, had an extensive vocabulary, but my pronunciation was dreadful and I was not used to an American accent.
The first week at school brought constant headaches. Trying to understand teachers and other students was a grueling task. But one day, without warning, I was fine and I could communicate. I don’t remember how or when it happened but just that it did. From then on I took every opportunity to practice and hone my English, especially my accent. At the end of the school year I remember having a conversation with other students who did not know I was an exchange student and when they found out they were surprised by my lack of an accent. Success!
That year in an American high school shaped my future. My, by then, substantial English skills have continued to provide me with incredible opportunities throughout life. Also, I met the person who a few years later would become my husband, but that is a story for another day.
When I fast forward 27 years I find myself with a life in the United States, an American husband, two wonderful bilingual children, a bachelor’s degree in biology from an American University, a certification as a Montessori teacher, which allowed me to teach English and Spanish to U.S. students, and translating complex medical documents for doctors and hospitals. Let’s see what tomorrow will bring, I can hardly wait!