Spanish Language Regrets

Yesterday, I signed a Peace Corps contract that stated that I would take additional Spanish classes before my departure date in 2009. I took two semesters of Spanish during one of the summers I stayed on campus, which was very helpful for my nomination. But in order to get an invitation to Latin America, I need a full second year of Spanish.

Given how much those summer classes cost (GWU's rate is just over $1k per credit hour which is about $3k per Spanish class), I wish that I had taken them more seriously. But I was young and foolish. I didn't realize that summer school meant that I would have to work 8 hours on campus and then spend another 3 hours in class. It was a bummer (but a great summer!) but somehow I managed to pass both classes.

I don't remember much Spanish so I must relearn it asap. I'm hoping to take Spanish 3 and 4 starting in April at ILI or USDA or starting this summer at a local university/college that costs significantly less than GW (Why is GWU so expensive?). In order to prepare myself, I will devote March to reviewing my Spanish 1 and 2 notes, attending a few Spanish Meetup group meetings, taking free Spanish classes at GW, and hounding my Spanish-speaking friends for quick lessons.

I do regret not taking Spanish in high school and college. I was so enamored with Latin that I took it from 8^th grade until college. I loved the language and I loved the teachers. Oddly, I chose not to place out of the college Latin 1 and 2. So I spent those semesters reviewing the basics and learning a lot more about the formation of sentences and words. Latin 3 was a lot of fun. The professor was very kooky and we did lots of translation, which I love. I enjoyed Latin so much that for a while I seriously considered minoring in the Classics.

I don't regret spending so much time taking Latin. I just wished that I had stayed mindful that I would probably need to know a few modern languages (like Spanish) to achieve my personal and professional goals.