Why Do I Need To Study Spanish

When I was younger, my mother worked as a private interpreter which led us to spend a majority of our summers traveling around Europe. Although I can honestly admit I do not remember much from the foreign locales we visited, I recall vividly how my mother would speak the languages. Yana, my mother, was fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, English, German, Italian, and proficient in both Polish and French. The words slipped off her tongue in the same fluidity and gracefulness of a ballerina on stage and conveyed both emotion and meaning. She knew how to command a language, to mold it to express her ideas, arguments, and affection. As a shy six year old who only knew Russian and English, I was positively entranced by these foreign tongues. However, as beautiful as these languages sounded to me, I was much more reluctant to work to learn them. My mother's attempts to tutor me in Italian were met with indignation and sheer laziness. My mother spoke the language with such elegance, I was positive I could never sound like that; even the thought of being compared to my mother intimidated me enough to deter me from pursue this knowledge. It was not until high school when my next encounter with learning a foreign language …show more content…
I had the opportunity to visit both Spain and Peru and practice Spanish in an authentic environment. The beauty of these places and the new cultures I was exposed to opened my eyes to a more global, unbiased perspective. I had the ability to build relationships with many people that I otherwise would have not have met. I was nominated as President of Spanish Club, which empowered me to share my love for the language and culture others, and inspire them to pursue learning Spanish outside of class. The moment I decided to add Spanish to my repertoire was the moment I stepped outside my mother's accomplishments and begin forging my own path to the