100 Days in Madrid: The Shocks and Excitement of Language Immersion

I can't believe it. It's already been 100 days!! Well, almost 100 days, but who's really counting... 

Time is truly flying out here in the city of Madrid. Or, as a Madrileño might say, "el tiempo corre." That was the first thing my taxi driver said to me on my ride from the airport to my new home. I guess I should have taken his warning more seriously, because suddenly only one month remains in my study abroad adventure, and I have yet to update my blog! But not to worry, because I have lots to report back on. First on the list for my "100 Days in Madrid" series is language immersion, where I'll be discussing two big things:

• A classic story on language immersion 
• My thoughts (and tips!) on growing as a Spanish speaker

Last night, I found myself in the midst of an awesome game of pickup basketball. Just a few metro stops away from my apartment, I can always rely on a steady crowd of hoopers at my local court. And on this night my teammates were all locals, speaking Spanish at the same rapid pace with which they dribbled down the court. Over the last few months my Spanish basketball vocabulary has gone from non-existent to, well... respectable! I can now confidently call out plays, ask for the ball, and I've picked up on a few phrases that only Spanish hoopers would understand. But “respectable” is a far cry from complete, as I found out last night. Deep into a tight ballgame, one of my teammates stole the ball from our opponents and started rushing down the court. He was going way too fast, looking like he might lose control. I searched for the right words to tell him to slow down. "Tiempo means time," I thought to myself. "I need to tell him to take his time..."

"Tiempo! Tiempo!" I screamed, hoping he would slow down his dribble. And it worked! Sort of. He slowed down and came to a full stop, successfully regaining his balance. However, I hadn't anticipated that the entire game would also stop once I screamed those words. Every player on the court froze in their tracks, turned towards me, and stared. They seemed to be waiting for me to say something else. At first shocked by what I'd just seen, my cheeks soon turned red. I immediately knew what had happened. "Tiempo! Tiempo," does not translate to "slow down". Rather, in this context, I had accidentally just called for a timeout, a concept that does not exist in pickup/street basketball. I awkwardly tried to explain myself, but it was no use. My teammates quickly picked up on what happened, and before I could say a word we were all laughing at my blunder. A teammate gave me a pat on the shoulder, told me not to worry, and soon the game resumed.

Throughout my time in Madrid, I’ve made all kinds of mistakes with my Spanish. Whether it was ordering food at a cafe, speaking to my professor, or trying to communicate with my teammates on the court, I couldn’t count how many times I’ve used the wrong word, forgotten how to speak, or reverted back to an English word. Here’s what I’ve learned from these experiences:

• Messing up is the best thing you can do. Just like most things in life, you have to make mistakes in order to learn. By continuously showing up and being willing to make mistakes, my Spanish skills have improved rapidly.
• It’s okay to mess up! It can be very embarrassing when you forget a word, or when someone doesn’t understand what you’re trying to say. However, more than anything else, I’ve found that most people appreciate the fact that I’m trying to speak their language. Many Madrileños have been happy to help me learn new words and grow as a speaker. Or, if they’re not in the mood, some people will just speak in English to me. Not a bad deal!
• Truly immersing yourself in a new language is plain fun. I’ve enjoyed nothing more than learning the unique phrases, slang, and dialects around Madrid. Studying verb tenses and vocabulary in a textbook is a good start, but hearing how a language is actually spoken truly completes the experience.

I’m really happy with how much my Spanish skills have grown in Madrid. There’s truly nothing better for improving your skills than diving right in, as scary or embarrassing as it can be. I can only hope that I retain all these skills when I’m back home!