In the year 2008, still being a student, I decided to go to Argentina to live abroad for half a year. I had learnt Spanish in my school for two years and felt I would understand at least something. Unfortunately I quickly found out this was not the case. 

My host mother picked me up from the airport and talked to me all the way back to my new home. I did not understand anything! On reaching our destination I met my host sisters and little brother. They were so friendly and welcoming but did not speak any English or German.
My first month in Argentina was the most exhausting month of my life. My only means of communicating was using my hands and feet! I thought, I would never be able to speak a complete sentence in Spanish. My little host brother was not bothered that I could not speak to him, he just continued to happily tell me his stories.

 

Back in the days, it was pretty frustrating to me that I could not express myself properly. It took me a lot of time to construct a sentence. Sometimes I felt I could not participate in life the way I would have wanted to.
That is why I was always happy when I could call my friends in Germany or my parents. Suddenly, it was so easy to talk about my experiences, emotions and to discuss current topics.
From this time on, I started to love my own language.

After one month I finally felt an achievement. I realized that I understood almost everything in Spanish. I continued to make more progress every day and I felt more comfortable in my new home. The most beautiful sentence I heard in all my time in Argentina, was the one my host brother said to me: „I am so glad that we speak the same language now.“

When my stay in Argentina came to an end I was even dreaming in Spanish. 

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Whilst everyone speaks some English here I believe you gain so much more from speaking the native language of the country you live in. My time in Argentina taught me not to be afraid of making mistakes in a foreign language and to appreciate different cultures, food and traditions. 

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Even though I am no longer a child, I try to take my host brother as a role model. Lets learn the German language in a calm but focused way, so I can say to you at some point: „I’m glad that we speak the same language now.“

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