“Do you know what a foreign accent is? It’s a sign of bravery.” I learn this by heart.
There was a time, not so long ago, when I believed that the world was contained within the borders of a language I had grown up with. Chinese, with its familiar turns of phrase and comforting syntax, was a landscape I knew well. But there comes a moment in every life—unexpected, like a sudden gust of wind—that pushes one beyond the edges of the known, into unfamiliar territories. For me, that moment arrived with the decision to learn Spanish.
My first encounter with Spanish was in primary school. During an English lesson, my teacher introduced us to some of the Spanish words and conjugations she had learned in university. Instead of being overwhelmed by the array of conjugations, I was captivated by the language’s diversity and variability. The seed of curiosity was sown. Then, when I reached high school, I continued to delve into this wonderful but challenging language.
My first Spanish teacher is called Ms Jessy. With her, we not only learned basic grammar and vocabulary but also explored the variant Hispanic world. Fortunately, I spent two years studying Spanish with her.
I still remember the first time sitting in a Spanish classroom–words cannot describe my nerves and stress when encountering words made of familiar letters, yet I could barely pronounce them. I went through the first few classes in confusion–forgot my materials, struggled to get used to the new teaching style, did not know my classmates yet and grappled with verb conjugations…
Luckily, this confusion didn’t last for too long. After a few weeks, I found my footing. That’s when my genuine love for Spanish began. In class, I became one of the most active participants to contribute ideas and outside class, I chatted with friends in Spanish. Some might see it as showing off, but to me, it really boosted my confidence, not only in learning Spanish, but also in other subjects and daily life. And I really appreciate my classmates, they are all talented and friendly. Without them, I might lost humongous happiness.
I still remember the first time sitting in a Spanish classroom–words cannot describe my nerves and stress when encountering words made of familiar letters, yet I could barely pronounce them. I went through the first few classes in confusion–forgot my materials, struggled to get used to the new teaching style, did not know my classmates yet and grappled with verb conjugations…
Luckily, this confusion didn’t last for too long. After a few weeks, I found my footing. That’s when my genuine love for Spanish began. In class, I became one of the most active participants to contribute ideas and outside class, I chatted with friends in Spanish. Some might see it as showing off, but to me, it really boosted my confidence, not only in learning Spanish, but also in other subjects and daily life. And I really appreciate my classmates, they are all talented and friendly. Without them, I might lost humongous happiness.
Spain, once one of the world’s leading maritime powers, is home to people with a certain passion and pride inside. On a field trip with my other Spanish teacher, Ms Maria, and my classmates, the whole Spanish culture was stunning and absolutely intriguing. Arriving in Madrid, the smell of freedom and dignity wafted in the air, lifting up my spirits.
The trip to Spain did offer me a glimpse into the Spanish world: the Temple of Debod symbolized the friendship between Spain and Egypt; Guernica touched me with its sublime beauty and sorrow; Universidad de Salamanca, instead, revealed the antiquity of Salamanca…
Apart from being a language enthusiast, I also have a genuine love for literature. One day, when I walked in campus, I noticed a series of English poems hanging on the walls of the corridor. I stopped to appreciate them and I suddenly started to realize that we had missed something–there were no poems written in Spanish!!! Thinking of some fabulous poets such as Pablo Neruda and García Lorca, I could not accept their absence. Then when I was proposed ways that I could present some Spanish poems, I thought about Ms Maria. I sent her an email about my proposal, and thanks to her kindness, she was pleased to see my passion on Spanish and was really keen to help me with it.
Then I started to collect some poems. Realizing it was unwise to select all the poems myself, I sent a message in my literature club’s Wechat group to gather ideas about which poems could be posted. They were so excited about this news and sent me a lot of poems–they were from José de Espronceda, Pablo Neruda, also García Lorca etc.
It took me about ten days to finalize all the posters. When Ms Maria informed me that they were ready, with nerves and excitement, I came to see them. Reading them out loud, I was stuck by the elegance of Spanish, especially when I read ‘Me gusta cuando callas’, of which I initially thought Spanish tended to be explicit and rude. It seemed in all a sudden, the whole world was compressed into those little syllables–that was a sublime beauty inside those poems.
I was delighted to see my peers standing in front of the poems, pondering what they meant, and trying to read them aloud. I would often join them, read the poem to them, sharing the fantastical language with them.
One day at school, an email popped up from my inbox. Then I checked, it basically talked about an Spanish exam–called DELE. “DELE? What is it?” In curiosity and uncertainty, I went to my Spanish teacher, and she told me a lot of things about DELE, such as its benefits to improve Spanish skills, its ability to act as a ticket when you exchange to Spain… I listened to her, in triumph, and decided to sign up for it. When deciding which level I should take, I asked quite a few teachers and seniors whether I was suitable for the more challenging A2/B1 level.
“Yeah, you can definitely do it.”
And eventually I decided to do it, in my first year of learning Spanish.
Sitting among all the students that were one year older than me, I got nervous and started to doubt myself for my level. Though I was only aiming for getting A2, that year, I unexpectedly failed.
It was dishonest to say I was not upset at all. Indeed for a while I was doubting myself, since all previous cases who did A2/B1 in the first year, they all got the certificate. “Am I just don’t have any talent in Spanish?” The question whirled me during that summer.
But I am not the person who will give up easily. In my second year, I put in more time on improving my skill, instead of just satisfying with the homework, in order to prepare for my final IG exam and possibly the DELE exam.
And this time, I made it! Upon receiving the exam results, a wave of happiness washed over me. My heart leapt with joy as I saw the high marks, a testament to the hard work and dedication I had poured into my studies. A sense of pride filled me, knowing that my efforts had truly paid off. I couldn’t help but smile, feeling a surge of confidence and relief.
Here I should thank my Spanish teachers, who have been so supportive during my preparation for DELE exam. They held a DELE supporting session once a week, so I became much more confidence sitting in the exam room. These exercises did help me improve my weaker part and consolidate my Spanish skill. I still remember the progress I made on listening part after several sessions of tutorials and my writing became much more convincing and compelling. So, many thanks to them, without them, I could not achieve this score.
When one day, a younger student one year below me asked me why I did DELE. My first instinct was to tell him:”Because I enjoy learning Spanish.” I personally think that DELE examination is more focused on our practical language use by putting us into some daily Spanish scenarios, which I feel will be more beneficial for Spanish learners. And also, it seems less dogmatic since it requires us to use the language in local environments, for instance, in the listening test, we do have to listen to a lot of conversation regarding maybe an appointment, or an introduction on an activity. While in the speaking, we have a role play section where we can have a free discussion with the examiner. Through these practices, my Spanish improved much more quickly.
And luckily, through these practices, I got an excellent IG result, which I think is highly connected to my effort put into this exam so that I could improve holistically.
I never refer Spanish as a subject, but as a language. The reason I do this is I strongly believe that language is a tool, but it is not an assessment, nor a difficult task.
As I continue my journey with Spanish, I realize that language is more than words, it is a bridge to new cultures and friendships. Every sentence spoken, every poem read, brings me closer to understanding the world beyond my own. With each step, I embrace the bravery of my foreign accent, knowing it as a testament to my passion and perseverance. The world is vast, and with Spanish, I am ready to explore every corner.
- Article / Jack Zhang
