Speaking a second language

Yesterday marked four weeks in Ecuador. Four weeks in, my knowledge of the spanish language is growing, and almost as fast as my frustration with learning it. But the experience has been eye-opening, and I have realized how much I take for granted when I speak in english. When you speak to someone in whatever language, you have concepts and ideas in your mind, and through the use of verbal sounds, communicate those to another. So when you are standing there, facing someone, and you want to get an idea across, you speak it, much like when you want to get from point A to point B, you walk there. At one point in your life that walk would have been a struggle, but those days are long go and walking from point A to point B is something done almost without thought.

But having a conversation in a language you are in the process of learning is more like climbing a rock wall than walking down a sidewalk. You're facing someone who speaks a completely different language, and you have to try to get an idea across. Like the rock wall, you can think forward a few words, but you can't pre-plan everything you will say, just as you can't evaluate your ascent up the wall completely before you even begin. So you begin to climb. The first few footholds you thought of before you started, but you have to find the rocks now as you go. If you are experienced with rock walls, finding footholds and handholds is easy. Likewise if you have been speaking your second language for some time, many of the words will flow, not as easily as your first language, but still easily. But then, there comes a point where your hand does not have an obvious rock to grab. You are at a precipice in your sentence, and in your climb, and you are searching for some word that can move you forward. Sometimes you find that word, just as you find the right rock. Sometimes, you have grab a word, even if you're not sure, and quickly move on, as you might have to do with a small and inconveniently placed rock. Sometimes, you need to back up and try from a different angle. Nevertheless, when you get to the top of the wall, or when you reach the end of your sentence and the other person smiles and nods in understanding, you have a real appreciation for what you just did. And next time, it's just a little bit easier.