We have now lived in Puerto Rico for just over a year. Wow did time fly by too fast!
When we first moved, I'd say I had a intermediate level of Spanish knowledge. More than a beginning, but not fluent. Enough to be dangerous I like to say. I took Spanish in all 4 years of High School...which looking back, it is more than evident that my first two years were the only ones which I learned anything. The last two years were more of a social hour. The teacher taught a college level Spanish course and it was as if our class was nothing more than a way to get some money w/o really having to work.
Even with a bare minimum of Spanish, I was able to test out of the first year in college. My Early Childhood Edu degree didn't require any more than that, so I didn't take anymore Spanish. I did however have to use my pathetic attempts when I was doing my student teaching at a daycare. We had a little boy whose family did not speak ANY English and none of the staff spoke ANY Spanish! I still fondly remember "O" as one of my favorite kiddos. We managed to stumble our way through the year and before long, he was teaching his family English!
Once I graduated from college, I began teaching in my hometown. I was working with the Head Start program. My 2nd year there, we had a family from Guatemala join our school district. The kids had no English skills! It so happened that the older siblings' teachers were good friends of mine, and we often used to bounce ideas off each other on how to help them and their family succeed. There was a ministry person who used to be in South American missions, who translated when he could for meeting with the parents. The rest was up to us! We labeled the classroom in both English and Spanish (a first for this class!). It became painfully obvious that the school system as a whole, had very little resources to help this family succeed. Even one of the high school level teachers wouldn't help/communicate with this family, which lead me to believe she really didn't have any conversational Spanish, outside from what she taught in school.
A few years go by and I meet my Puerto Rican husband. We would speak in Spanish some, and Papa was definitely willing to help me. I would listen to his brother/sis in law's conversations and over time began to understand more and more. However, until we got the kids, I never really spoke in Spanish.
In 2006 we became instant parents to three children who did not speak English. Even their Spanish was rather limited. I learned quickly phrases to speak to them and we managed to always understand each other. Over time, their Spanish diminished and English became the primary language. Even Papa began to speak to them only in English. It saddens me now to see how easily it was for them to lose that primary language.
One of my main reasons for moving to Puerto Rico was that I wanted the kids to be immersed in the Spanish. I know that we have ALL made huge strides from what we knew over a year ago.
I'm not afraid to speak anymore, although I know I still butcher a lot of words/pronunciations. The kids will play with kids who only speak Spanish and while I know there is still a barrier at times, they can always seem to communicate their needs.
With us homeschooling the kids, they have not been forced to really work on their Spanish. Enrolling them in public school has been a thought, but one we have not pursued at this time. So we continued to practice daily at home. We try to have 1 day a week when we speak only Spanish to them and they have to speak Spanish back. Sometimes it works out better than others.
We have gone (although not recently) to the public library to the kids section, where we are learning to read in Spanish. Just like they learned to read in English, now we are working with easy reader's in Spanish.
Poco a poco....we are getting there!
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