Long time ago…
Many years ago, probably you and I would not be able to even hold a conversation. Lack of vocabulary, pronunciation mistakes… That was me in my early 20’s. Today, I can speak fluent English, intermediate German, and other languages as well.
Learning languages is one of my passions. It’s a very fun thing to do, despite I admit that the traditional way of learning is a bit boring. However, once you’re out there and you can communicate, understand and express yourself, it feels as if you can walk the world with more freedom.
In Spain, it’s quite known that our English level is not that amazing compared to other countries. Not only we have a strong accent, but we make pronunciation mistakes, we hardly have a good command of the grammar, and don’t mention the spelling mistakes. That wouldn’t be a problem, though, if you try to communicate. However, our lack of confidence makes us feel terrified when we need to face a situation in another language. Not all of us are like this, but it’s a pattern I noticed we follow.
Many years ago, in Spain you could finish High School with an A2 English level, which can be considered basic, before starting an intermediate level. Despite good marks, students often struggle to communicate and they need to attend extra classes to learn the language, even if we started learning it many years ago.
That was my case. And when I arrived in Sweden to start my Erasmus, I was more than terrified. I thought I was fluent, until I had to deal with life. Not to mention when I met people from other nationalities who were far more fluent than I was.
Is it our problem?
Some people believe it is a Spanish thing, and unfortunately a minority can even think that the problem is that we’re Spanish, or that our country has several co-official languages that may interfere in the way languages are learned.
I must admit that in this sense, the education system when it comes to learning languages in Spain is quite deficient. At least, it was, and as I can see on the news, still is. The latest news show an alarming decline in students that make linguistic mistakes that shouldn’t be happening, especially in professions such as teachers.
In any case, some Spanish manage to become fluent and proficient in English and other languages. Even though I admire those who have this capacity to learn quickly and communicate clearly and effectively, I managed to tackle my own obstacles and learn.
My story
As I said, in Sweden I faced a wall that pushed me back and scared me. I still remember when people were struggling to understand a word I said, at the same time I was struggling to find the right words. I even wanted to hide under a rock and let other people do the talking.
One day, I decided to start getting out of my comfort zone and try. Before my Erasmus, I used to practice Judo and Karate. I remembered the piece of advice my sensei gave me when he saw me not managing to throw an opponent to the floor. He literally told me that my problem was my self-confidence and not my technique. That day, I tried and tried and tried, until I almost threw my opponent and he highlighted the improvement of my performance when I let confidence push me to keep trying.
Keeping that in mind, I practiced, and practiced, and practiced, until one day, I could participate in conversations and sit exams.
Time later, when I came back to Spain, I wanted to keep learning the language one year after my return. You know what they say, it’s easy to forget a language. So I wanted to join a public school, since I couldn’t afford one. The placement test determined that I had to start in B2.1 level, meaning that during my Erasmus I improved almost two levels at once.
When I finished B2.2., I wanted to obtain the C1 level certificate, but I faced the same issue. Lack of funds to afford a private school and where I went they were not offering the level I wanted. I think it was possible only in the city center of Barcelona.
So I paid the exam fees and registered for the exam. I bought the materials, watched TV series in English, and mock exams. When the exam day arrived, I sat it and weeks later, they told me I passed.
The Lesson
Everyone has their own circumstances, that is for sure. But if there is something I learned in that moment is that many times we believe it’s not possible to achieve something because we are either lacking resources, time or the capacity. For sure there will be situations in which life will make things more complicated, but sometimes, the limits are in our own mind and those are the ones we need to tackle.
Of course, we don’t need to be perfect at something. Today, I still make mistakes in English, struggle with accent sometimes and that is perfectly normal, but I’m happy about all the progress I made, especially when I was growing in an environment where the education system wasn’t make it easy for us.
If you want to learn something, not necessarily English, but any other skills, I want to tell you that you can do it. Don’t let anybody or your own thoughts tell you otherwise.
Good luck and wish you all the best!
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