When I was in Colombia, particularly the first time with my sister Melanie, I had so much fun trying to speak Spanish. I’d never taken a Spanish class in my life, and I arrived off the plane knowing almost nothing. With the help of Melanie and our cousin, I was able to muddle my way through several successful interactions by myself while there. I’d order drinks for everyone and feel so delighted with myself even though I’d really only needed to expand my Spanish vocabulary by a few words to do so. On that first trip to Colombia, mine and Melanie’s conversations routinely fell into discussions of language—English idioms and slang, the easy way people speak their first language, how much we wanted to be at least proficient in another language.
I knew when I moved to Korea that I wanted to take Korean classes. Absolutely. I also knew that with such a huge transition, it probably wouldn’t be until after a couple of months of living in the country. That was my plan. A plan I really liked.
But something has happened in these past couple of months.
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