Spanish

I can speak Spanish...there...I said it.  My roommates would say that I just removed a bushel (apparently I "hide" facts about myself or talents I have from others, those are called bushels, really no one ever asks me about them so they don't find out about them until it comes up in conversation).  The whole second language thing just isn't something that comes out in a regular conversation with most of my friends.  I also have a hard time saying that I "speak" Spanish because I am really out of practice.

I learned Spanish in high school.  I took four years including AP Spanish my senior year and also passed the AP test.  I used Spanish quite a bit in California, it was very handy when I worked at my grandparents' store and even around town on occasion.  I spent a year taking classes at the junior college at home and decided to take a break from Spanish then when I went away for college, I took one semester of Spanish to fulfill a language requirement.  I haven't taken any classes in many years so I'm surprised at how much I do remember.  I translated for a student in my second teaching cohort and then translated for some parent-teacher conferences my first year teaching, other than that, I don't speak much Spanish. I used to read books and watch some TV and movies in Spanish, but now I'm lucky if I catch most of the words.

Quite a few people have recently discovered my Spanish comprehension.  I usually just listen to others' conversations and pretend I don't hear what they're saying, it's quite informative.  Lately, it's come in handy relaying information to one person in a group without the others knowing what is said.  I have to admit, it's also entertaining to see people's faces when I just bust out some Spanish.

I like to talk to inanimate objects in Spanish, like when I can't find my shoes or keys (don't worry, they don't ever respond).  I also talk to myself in Spanish, I never have a language barrier there.  I find when thinking in another language, I get a better perspective because I have to think about my words more.  I admit, I freak out a bit when my school asks me to translate, especially over the phone.

My roommate and another friend have also recently discovered that I am much more open to give out information if they have me explain it in Spanish.  Don't worry, I don't give other people's secrets away, just my own.  Not sure why a different language makes it easier to spill my guts, but it's almost like I'm not saying it because my ears don't hear it in English so it must not be coming out.  Or maybe it's because I'm too focussed on trying to translate all the words that I'm not thinking about what I'm telling others.  Don't get too many ideas, I still have a filter and won't share the stuff that really matters with the people I really don't want to know.

So, there you go.  More random thoughts by Julie.  Stay tuned the rest of the week, I'll be working on my paper and will be looking for ways to put it off some more.  But for now, back to the paper!