My Spanish Practice Journey – The Unexpected Detour
So, I decided I really needed to get my Spanish sorted. It’s been on my list forever, right? You always think, “Yeah, I’ll learn Spanish,” and then life happens. But this time, I was serious. I wanted to actually use it, not just know a few words like “hola” and “gracias”.
I started digging around for ways to practice. Apps, books, online stuff. You know the drill. Found some decent apps, tried talking to myself in the car. Felt a bit silly, but hey, whatever works. The main goal was just to get comfortable stringing sentences together, even basic ones.
My Practice Routine (Sort Of)
- Tried Duolingo for like, a week. Got bored.
- Watched some Spanish shows on Netflix. Mostly just read the subtitles.
- Found a podcast. Listened during my commute. Understood maybe half?
- Attempted flashcards. Remembered them for about 5 minutes.
Then came the idea of a trip. Nothing fancy, just somewhere I could maybe try out my broken Spanish. Ended up planning a road trip down south. Now, this wasn’t Spain or Mexico, mind you. Just a regular US road trip, but I figured I might encounter some Spanish speakers, maybe find some authentic food.
The Road Trip Reality
So, off I went. The driving part was fine. Listened to more Spanish podcasts. Felt like I was making progress, kinda. Then came finding places to stay. I remember pulling into this town, tired, needing a place for the night. Saw a sign for a “La Quinta”. Now, I know it’s just a hotel chain, nothing really Spanish about it most of the time, but the name just stuck in my head because of my whole Spanish practice thing.
Checked in. The front desk person was super nice, spoke perfect English, of course. No chance to practice my carefully rehearsed “Quisiera una habitación” there. Oh well. The room was standard, clean, nothing special. But it got me thinking.
Here I was, trying so hard to immerse myself in Spanish from my little corner of the world, using apps and podcasts. And then on the road, the closest I got was a hotel chain name. It felt a bit anticlimactic. It’s funny how you build things up in your head.
The rest of the trip was similar. Found some great taco places, managed a “dos tacos al pastor, por favor” a couple of times. Success! But mostly, it was just a regular trip. Saw some sights, drove a lot, stayed in standard hotels. The big Spanish immersion? Didn’t really happen the way I pictured.
But you know what? It was still good. It reminded me that learning a language isn’t just about apps or one big trip. It’s about the small bits, the consistent effort, even if it feels slow or silly sometimes. And maybe seeing that “La Quinta” sign was just a little nudge, a reminder of the goal, even if the hotel itself had nothing to do with it. Still gotta keep practicing, though. Maybe next time I’ll actually go somewhere Spanish-speaking. We’ll see.
