Finding my Voice in Another Language

Brrriiinnnggg!! The sound of notebooks and laptops being slammed shut echoed throughout room 114. The minute hand just ticked 2:17 PM, dismissal. “Sientate”, yelled my Spanish teacher. “The bell doesn’t dismiss you, I do,” the classic phrase we all knew too well. While others, ranging from grades 6-12, were storming out the building, the 34 of us were held incarcerated in the squeezed room with no windows. My friend and I exchanged a look of pure annoyance. The familiar bland slides with, AGENDA, in all caps, everything was always in all caps. Don’t get me wrong, I never hated learning another language, it was more so me not getting anywhere. The last two years consisted of the basic grammar exercises and recycled assignments, and this year the cycle persisted once again. I wondered why learning a second language needed to be a requirement when the whole school was already bilingual. My family and friends never spoke Spanish, so will learning the language benefit me at all? The answer was no. It never sat right with me to do things that never served me, learning another language was one of them. But maybe, just maybe, I was being bitter that my precious three minutes were being stolen. I guess the extra minutes of high school meant way less than they do now.

The class finally ended after what felt like an eternity. My friend and I quickly grabbed our 8 lb backpacks and speed walked through the empty halls and out the building. Our clubs were canceled due to it being Valentine’s Day, but why would such studious teenagers go straight home?! We somehow ended up in Captain Tilly Park (Chapin Pkwy. &, Gothic Dr, Jamaica, NY 11432) after grabbing a quick bite at Natalie’s Pizzeria; the classic $1 pizza became $2.50—talk about inflation. The walk up to the children’s playground in the park was full of laughter from reminiscences of hidden jokes and old memories. The pond once filled with ducks was now cold and frosty.

We jumped onto the toddler swings and took turns pushing each other till a little girl, dressed in all hot pink, came along. She had a Dutch braid and was half my height. Even though I go around claiming I despise kids, I still find myself having a soft spot for any that come around. Anyways, she was trying her best to sit on the swings, from using her feet to get up to holding the swing in place. My elder sibling instincts kicked in immediately as I asked her if she needed help while pointing at the swing. She nodded and a smile appeared on her rosy face. I helped her sit on the swing and pushed her gently for a couple of minutes. After a while her mom came along, and I realized a lot of time had passed by as my friend was laughing at me for giving mother vibes. We decided to leave when the mom was asking her daughter if she was having fun in their native tongue, and the girl said, “Gracias” (thank you) out loud. And without realizing, “De nada, ¡adios! ” (you’re welcome, bye!) came out. That’s when it hit me that the 2 years of recycled assignments from my high school Spanish class was worth the extra minutes all along. The mom smiled and thanked me in English, making me feel proud of my communication skills. It was a small moment, but enough to reveal that I wasn’t living a mundane life. That moment shifted my entire look on the language itself.

The next few classes of the semester were not frustrating anymore, I had a reason to pay attention–that one experience. Perhaps I wouldn’t be able to use Spanish with my friends nor family, but there may be opportunities elsewhere. I found myself going to tutoring in that same room with no windows, but I was no longer trapped. I actually enjoyed Spanish and the doors it opened up for me. Leading up to the days of the Spanish Regents, I held my 219 day streak on Duolingo up until June 26, 2024, my junior year of high school. However, after the exam ended, I still found myself going back just for the fun, interactive lessons. Now, I can proudly say those basic grammar exercises are second nature to me.

            You can’t force your brain to remember anything if there’s no real connection.  I’ve realized that when taking Spanish for 4 years, only realizing its positive impact the third year in. The same requirement I needed for graduation in a fully diverse school allowed me to become trilingual. It wasn’t just a language, but a new world I chose to immerse myself in. Although I rarely use the language itself, it is a great asset to have. What I never chased became a part of my identity and I became someone with linguistic skills after all.