One of the reasons I chose to study abroad in Spain included my desire to fluently speak Spanish by the end of the program. Although I have taken Spanish in school for 5 years, I never felt like I had the confidence or skill set to be able to speak as easily as I spoke English. I always told myself that I would never become fluent in the classroom and that it would take fully immersing myself in a country that spoke Spanish. So, when the opportunity to study abroad the summer of 2019 in Barcelona presented itself, I took it without hesitation.
Five weeks later, although I have not achieved my goal of being able to fluently speak Spanish, I have learned so much more about myself in regards to language while being in Barcelona. Taking 3 Spanish classes at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (two of which were taught by the university’s professors) forced me to become more comfortable speaking Spanish in class. At Northwestern, I always felt a sense of competition in the classroom, making me doubt my ability to speak Spanish and resulted in my very minimal class participation. However, in my classes here, I have felt more support from my classmates and professors, which resulted in my boost in confidence in speaking, a step I believe paves the way towards fluency. During my time in Barcelona, by speaking more in my classes, I have learned that I truly love learning new languages. I did not view my classes as I do at Northwestern, tasks that I simply need to do for the grade; rather, I viewed my classes as an opportunity to improve. Thus, I plan on starting to learn an additional language as soon as I return to the U.S.