Learning Spanish

I was in a taxi in Panama City trying to talk to the driver. I

had only lived in Panama a few months at the time and the

driver spoke as much English as I spoke Spanish. Not much, but

some. I tried to tell him that the drivers in Panama City were

crazy and that I was afraid to drive my own car. I told

him: Tengo mierda.

He slapped his leg and laughed. He said, Shiiiiiiiiiiit!

Mierda means shit. Miedo means afraid.

I have lots of other stories of how not to speak Spanish. I

can't tell you the number of times that I said something that I

thought was Spanish and a Panamanian had no idea what I was

trying to say.

Learning a new language is both painful and funny. And

valuable, in fact, I would argue essential, if you are planning

to live here.

I recognize that the younger you are, the easier it is to pick

up a new language. The younger you are, the easier it is to

pick up anything. Dancing, cooking, skiing, reading, and

algebra. OK, maybe not algebra. Only geeks pick up algebra

easily. So, if you are youngish and have moved or want to move

to a Spanish speaking country, good for you. You’ll do great.

You older people (like me) will need try harder but it is worth

it.

Speaking Spanish helps you navigate life here in the

restaurants, stores, and community. You can order food, ask

directions, tell someone you need help, and tell your workers

what you need done. You can chit-chat on the corner with

Boqueteños you have met instead of just saying "hola" and

quickly walking on. You can get to know your neighbors.

The Boqueteños will respect you for speaking Spanish. Even if

you can barely get your idea across, you are trying. You are

valuing them enough to make the effort to learn their language.

Believe me, it goes a long way (even if you have to use

Charades and Spanglish.)

Now that you are motivated, where do you start? There are

teachers or schools here who will get you on the right path.

I've seen private teachers advertise on Boquete News. The best

way to find a good Spanish teacher is to ask others for

references.

Duo-lingo is a free online language program and it is pretty

good. I've heard good things about Rosetta Stone. The big

difficulty with these programs is making yourself do it every

day. For those of us who don't commit to adhering to a

daily schedule, it won't work. If you're paying someone to

teach you, you'll most likely show up.

The other problem with these programs is they teach you

vocabulary and verb conjugations, but you get very little

practice using what you’ve learned. You need to practice with a

Panamanian so you can have a meaningful conversations with

them.

When I first got here, I took an immersion class. I spent five

hours a day taking individual lessons in Panama City. My

favorite Spanish phrases were: No entiendo or Como se dice?"

I experienced huge headaches on a daily basis. I cried a couple

of times out of frustration. But I learned a lot of Spanish.

It was a wonderful experience.

Here's some other ways to teach yourself the language.

* Read children's books in Spanish.

* Listen to Spanish songs. Play one song over and over until

you can pick out the words. I especially like Besame Mucho. La

Bamba is also popular.

* Force yourself to speak to the Boqueteños in town. Expect to

be misunderstood or have a good laugh at your own expense. It's

a bonding experience.

* Pay a local to talk to you for an hour. You are not paying

for a teacher, just someone to practice with, so you can work

with any native speaker.

* Watch telenovelas on TV. The actors speak more slowly and

clearly than Boqueteños do.