Beginning my Spanish Language Learning

¡Hola!

Knowing different languages has always been one of my dreams. Right now, I speak Filipino, English, and the local dialect, Cebuano or Bisaya. My husband and I will soon move to Spain, so I’m now learning the language again, this time Castillan Spanish.

I’ve searched for Spanish tutors based in Davao and found that one of our neighbors did classes but when I contacted her, she had already moved abroad. Tutorials in person always work well for me so I messaged some teachers, but none responded. I learned that my former school, the University of Southeastern Philippines (Institute of Languages) is offering a Spanish Language course.

I inquired at the university and enrolled for Level 1. My class schedule was eight (8) sessions, at two hours per session. The tuition cost was Php7,000 per level. I’ve learned that my assigned teacher graduated from a university in Madrid. She is also teaching in other universities especially on foreign studies courses.

The first day was full of uncertainty because I did not know what to expect. However, it was fun learning– from ABCs and numbers up to the basic grammar rules. I felt like I was in kindergarten again, but with a bigger brain. In the later days of Level 1, I was given anecdotes written in Spanish to be translated as far as my understanding would take.

Level 2 became more grammar-based. I got lots of rules to keep in mind. The beauty and complexity of the language baffled me. In this phase, I got more confident with writing and responding to people in an online Spanish community, but not quite able to speak because my mind was sticking to proper grammar before I utter sentences. My teacher said there are more rules as each level goes up. She hinted that Level 3 will be more on speaking skills.

As of now, I´m taking a pause from Level 3 in order to find out if I can continue successfully on my own.  I must admit that the organized lessons were invaluable. There were also inputs that cannot be found online. The ready answers from my teacher made learning smoother and less pressured. The series of lesson guides or gradual teaching helped me to channel my focus where it should be until I really get it in my system. My teacher said that I will know when the language is fully in my system when I dream of Spanish. It’s not happening yet haha because obviously, I still have a long way to go.

I am now on an online self-study mission. The next write-up will be about the method I am using to get more Spanish Language knowledge. ¡Hasta luego!