In case you didn't know, I love Barcelona.

I also love volunteering at Onefam Ramblas, which has become a large part of my life for the last 9 months.

I've been back in Barcelona at Onefam for the last 4 weeks. But, I didn't return to my home away from home because I wanted to experience it again.

Rather, I came back to learn Spanish.

English Speaker's Guilt

Traveling with English as your native language is like a cheat code.

English is the world's most spoken language and it's how most people communicate internationally.

75% of people who speak English learn it as their second language. This means almost every conversation abroad is with someone using my native language to communicate with me.

I have this same struggle when I'm speaking French. Even though I'm fluent, I don't have the same command of the language. I also get exhausted when I have to spend all day speaking French because I have to concentrate harder to participate in conversations.

However, I have effortless conversations daily with people who struggle to speak English. Yet, they switch anyway because it's our only common language.

Hence, my English-speaking guilt.

Why Spanish?

French travelers I've met from France, Belgium, Morocco, and Algeria have shown me how speaking someone's native language can lead to more genuine connections.

Even in the Middle East and Greece, using all 4 words of Arabic and Greek I know before switching to English can go a long way. People appreciate the effort because it shows a genuine interest in their culture.

Too many travelers don't care at all.

Thus, a blossoming realization from a year of travel was that I should dive deeper into the cultures I've grown to care deeply about.

What's a great way to dive deeper into the culture? Learn the language.

What country has had a more positive impact on my trip than anywhere else? Spain.

As icing on the cake, what language is the logical next step to learn if I already speak English and French? And what is the second most common language in the US?

Spanish.

Bing, bang boom. Learning Spanish it is!

How it started vs. How it's going

Duolingo is a great supplement to learning a new language. But there's no substitute for immersing yourself in a country that speaks the language you're trying to learn.

I signed up for a class at Camino (which I'd recommend if you're in Barcelona!) and began improving way faster than with a gamified app.

It was a challenge at the start. I joined a 15 hr/week course and it felt like trying to drink water from a fire hose. I was in a beginner class, but the group had already been together for 2 weeks before I arrived.

So it took a while to get my legs under me. But I've gradually formed a base and built confidence to do basic things like order food and grasp the topic of most conversations.

As long as they speak slowly enough.

It'd be naive to say that 4 weeks of Spanish will make me a pro. But it's the beginning of a long journey to fluency that I'm committed to continuing when I return to the US.

I've also realized through Camino that classrooms are a cost-effective way to build language skills, but 1-on-1 lessons force you to learn faster, no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. In the US, that's what my language practice will look like as I won't be constantly immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment.

Long-Term Goal

Eventually, I'd like to be able to speak English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic, although those last two will be an awful lot harder than the first 3.

However, with the goal of using language to connect with people in the most authentic way possible, those 5 languages would enable me to communicate with the entire Western world, the Arab world, and China.

Sounds great! But easier said than done.

Right now I'm just trying to get through a simple conversation in Spanish about where I'm from and what I do, so I can't think too macro about it.

For now, I have one more week in a Spanish-speaking country that I'll make the most of. Then, I'll continue practicing with Spanish-speaking friends I'll be finishing my trip with. Finally, I'll keep the lessons going in the US.

One step at a time :)