I decided to take a theater class in Spanish because I am forgetting my native language, the language I was taught in my house and in school, the language I speak to my family and my friends, the language of love , the language that I can express my feelings in, the first language I thought of.
The first day of class, I was secure of myself because there were only two native Spanish speakers, and I was one of them. I took advantage of that, and I expressed everything I had to say, but during the semester I developed some kind of fear about public speaking, which I thought was something that I had only when I spoke English, but the reality is that I am terrified of public speaking in both languages.
I also noticed something very specific, special, and unique about American individuals, and that is that they are not afraid to show their weaknesses. For example, I am very scared to speak English in public; I’m afraid that people cannot understand what I’m saying, but American individuals are different, or at least in this class. These students did not care about pronunciation, about having an accent, or even if the sentences they were saying were correct, and I was fascinated by those facts.
During the semester our instructor, Michael Amstoard, gave us readings and writing assignments for each class to develop a better understanding of the use of the language, and that was exactly what I was looking for. I felt like my skills were getting back again, but it has been a year since I took that class, and I have not been practicing like before. However, now I know that practice helps people to understand, to learn, and to become better because, as is well known, talent is important, but it is the hours of practice that make the difference.
Reference:
Belyrf. “LA PRÁCTICA HACE AL MAESTRO Y AL LÍDER TAMBIÉN!” Coaching for Excellence, 11 July 2016, yourbrainblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/11/la-practica-hace-al-maestro-y-al-lider-tambien.
