Learning a language has many benefits, has opened up my world, and has been one of my greatest learning challenges as an adult. Learning a language doesn't happen overnight. I have learned many "side lessons" in this process. I am focusing on one such side lesson of my language learning experience today: bringing people closer.
My son and I are learning Spanish at the same time. Using the internet for language learning has introduced us to new people. Our teachers are from Puebla Mexico and Caracas Venezuela. In the past, we have also had teachers from Ecuador, Cuernavaca Mexico, Columbia, and Guatemala (the last 3 listed are immigrants who currently live in Omaha, Nebraska and taught us in person.) We also are hosting an exchange student from Spain this year and she is always happy to us with our language skills.
Learning Spanish has allowed us to build relationships with people from all of the world, so when news comes on TV about riots in Venezuela, my son has already gotten pictures from his teacher showing the events happening in his neighborhood. Real fear and concern exist in our house that otherwise would simply be another news story. When we hear the horrible things said about Mexicans, we personally know a well educated, engineer, and polyglot who doesn't fit that stereotype at all. We also know several others from Latin America who are bilingual and are contributing great things in our own local communities.
Learning a language continues to benefit my life and I will share many of these benefits with you over time. One critical point I advocate, especially for people who do not live in ethnically diverse places, is to seek out people who are from another country. Use learning another language as a way to connect with a new culture. Use the internet if needed (italki.com). It widens your world view and helps you connect to a different perspective you might otherwise miss in the comfort of your own life.
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