WALK: Third Choice is the Charm

Aragon.

That was the name of the middle school that I attended while growing up in small town Colorado, but now that name means so much more to me. Aragón is the region that I will be living in for the next 10months. I still haven’t received my visa letter so I’m not quite sure which city I’ll be living in yet, but I’m still excited. People have asked me why I chose Aragon out of all the regions in Spain. I had my pick of Andalucía, Castilla La Mancha, Valencia, Catalonia, or even Madrid… but nope, I chose ARAGON. Actually, I didn’t REALLY pick Aragon. I actually chose Andalucía as my first chose, Extremadura as my second, and Aragón as my third. Looks like my third choice was the charm because that’s what I received. Initially, I was upset that I didn’t receive Andalucía. Andalucía is home to Granada, Alhambra beer, and most all of the things I love about Spain, but I think this happened for a reason. First of all, Aragon shares a border with France. Oh là là! Could I love France anymore than I already do? Nope. Ok, maybe yes. I could only love France more if I lived there with Cole and we had two cute little Frenchie babies that we strolled hand in hand with while eating croissants and sipping hot cocoa. Uhh… a girl can dream can’t she? 

Anyway, Aragon has a lot of French influences and that makes me happy because we could all use a little more French in our lives right? Plus, from what I can tell Aragon is very unique from the rest of Spain. First of all, they eat a lot of MEAT. You know this Cattlewoman loves her her meat, and Aragon has a lot of it. Beef, Lamb, and Seafood are all major parts of their diet. Plus, they eat a good amount of fruit which can be harder to find in other parts of Spain. Additionally, Aragon is the home of geological contrast in Spain. It has green valleys, hilly areas in the south, and the snow-capped Pyrenees. I’m excited to be near mountains again because my heart has missed their majestic arches cresting in the distance. Plus, there is a strong possibility that I may get to enjoy the SNOW again. Oh, how I have missed the snow! Texas was a MAJOR let down in the cool weather department. You know you’re in trouble when you start hitting the 100º mark multiple days in May. My coat, scarves, and mittens all think that I have abandoned them. So Aragon, although you were not my first choice… I promise to embrace you with open arms--- and hopefully those arms will have a long sleeved shirt and cute pea coat on top of them!

STUMBLE: The LABYRINTH

I've realized that learning a new language as an adult is like a labyrinth. Initially the idea of learning a second language can feel unbearably daunting. Furthermore, once you’re finally in the thick of the process it can seem utterly confusing because you encounter countless road blocks and sometimes even dead ends, but you always know that there is a way out---a finish line; fluency.

However, right now I feel as though I have been thrown right back into my my own personal language labyrinth. 

As a Program Manager I had the opportunity to correspond in Spanish by email and hold conference calls where I would ramble out a little here and there, but now I'm about to enter into a WHOLE NEW ballgame. I know that the only way for me to become fluent is to be totally immersed in the Spanish language and lifestyle once again; one semester abroad was not enough time for me and I am eager to return to Spain. However, I am utterly FREAKED OUT as well. It's kind of funny for me that my language acquisition journey has felt like a labyrinth because the first movie I actually watched and understood in Spain happened to be Pan's Labyrinth. This movie was a turning point in my own labyrinth--I finally understood what was going on! I just knew that an usher with a big bright flashlight was going to pop up behind me and admonish me at any minute for all of the light I was giving off. It felt as though there was a GIANT light bulb above my head because I experienced an illumination like no other that evening. I had to be a major distraction for the other patrons trying to enjoy their movie experience.  I got it. I REALLY got it. No pasa nada, yo entiendo!

I believe that my passion for learning and teaching children will make my experience more meaningful not only for me, but the students I will be working with on a daily basis but I'm still scared as H-E-double hockey sticks. Nonetheless, I look forward to returning to Spain not only to escape my own personal labyrinth and reach my goal of fluency but to also to participate in a program that promotes language and cultural advancement.