People

La gente, gens, leute, people. No matter how you say it, we are all people. And sometimes, we are more similar than we think. Yes we have different customs. We might like different foods. We might have different beliefs. We might speak different languages. But isn't that what makes the world go 'round? If there is anything I have learned in my time both studying and living abroad, it is that YES people are different but those differences are beautiful! How boring would it be if you constantly spent your life surrounded by people who were the same as you.

As for the language, many people use the phrase "language barrier" as a negative term. I couldn't speak to him because of the "language barrier." Well, I felt uncomfortable approaching that group because my Spanish is not that great. If it wasn't for the "language barrier...." My opinion...how about we all forget about the "language barrier" and look at it in the sense that language should never be a BARRIER to keep you from getting to know someone. We might have limited vocabulary when we speak. We might not be "gramatically correct." But who cares?

About a week ago, I went to an "intercambio" party where people go to learn language. At one point, my roommate Carolyn and I were engaged in a conversation with five other people. It was not until the end of the conversation that Carolyn brought up the fact that it was true we were speaking with five other people in Spanish but only one of them was from Spain. Yes, there was a guy from Spain, a girl from France, a girl from the Czech Republic, a girl from Greece and a girl from the UK. I just thought it was absolutely amazing that I was speaking to so many people in one language but that language (Spanish) was the native language of only one person in the group.

Then we decided to have a party on Tuesday night and who showed up? Spaniards, Germans, Americans even our friend Anna from Latvia. There was German and English and Spanish being thrown around the apartment in various conversations at the same time and I found myself speaking Spanglish. Sounds complicated, right? Nope. It was the most fun I have had at a party in a while. Just to see people around the apartment communicating in so many different languages is something I will never forget and it is times like these that seem so insignificant at the time, but when I look back, I think that this is such an amazing opportunity. There is never a dull moment here.

So I'll end this blog with this:

If you think about anyone who is fluent in a language, they often times use that fluency to start arguements, curse people off, get into fights, put people down, gossip, etc. But when you are learning language, no one ever teaches you how to get into an arguement. You rarely learn the bad words until you seek them out. So maybe it is best if you meet people who do not speak your native language. You speak about intelligent topics and you learn about cultures and customs. You learn to listen and accept people for who they are. And that is what I think is the most amazing thing about language. I feel like I have had better and more wholesome conversations with people here who do not speak my native language than with people who do. But when all is said and done, I think language is more of a pathway to meeting new people and it only becomes a barrier when you let it. I try to keep that in mind when I meet new people and I think everyone should too. And the next time you meet someone who does not speak the same native language, forget about that "barrier" and use it as an opportunity. You would be surprised with what you learn.