However, the DAY after graduation I had the opportunity to move abroad for an extended period of time to Denmark. Many people in Denmark speak English, but the main language is Danish. It was at that point I realized I actually wanted to learn a language. I was always thinking “how cool would it be if my bf and I could speak Danish together while we’re in the U.S. and no one would know what we’re saying”. So, I enrolled at a language school and started learning Danish.

My experience at the language school was very different than that at my American high school. I actually had a reason to learn the language and I would be able to utilize what I learned immediately after leaving the classroom. I wasn’t just learning vocabulary and such to store in my brain in the event I may some day use it.

Another reason my experience was so different was that no one at the school spoke English! There were Turks, Germans, Czechs, Poles, and other ethnicities present and we all had to learn how to communicate with each other.

I was at the Danish school for about 6 months and had learned quite a bit, but also found out that, for the first time in my life, I was shy! I hadn’t ever remembered being shy in my entire life! Learning this even shocked myself, but I had a hard time speaking Danish in front of Danes for a long time. None-the-less, I learned a lot during my time there.

Fast Forward 10 Years

Now I live in Texas, and really have a desire to learn Spanish. There are a lot of Spanish speaking people in my area, not to mention, I am surrounded by amazing restaurants and taco trucks! At the university I work at, we have many employees that speak Spanish as their primary language and it would be nice to connect with them through Spanish.

I would love to some day be able to order my food in Spanish at one of the many food trucks or restaurants in my area. I’m a huge taco/burrito fan and am blessed to be surrounded by many Mexican restaurants to try out. My town even has a whole Taco Trail to follow along with and not miss out on any of the great tacos in the area! (That’s something I can get on board with!)

I also hope to some day backpack Mexico. I’ve been dreaming about that trip for 5 years now, just planning it small pieces at a time but really wanting to get a good base of Spanish down before I get there as there are some cities I want to visit where I really will need to know Spanish. 

At this point in my life, going back to an actual brick and mortar school to learn a language just isn’t an option. I started doing all kinds of research on different Spanish programs online, free courses, YouTube videos, podcasts, the works.

I decided to try out Duolingo.

Duolingo is an app geared toward beginning language learners focused on learning vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and developing listening skills. It’s not meant to be a stand-alone language learning program, but for beginners like me, it’s fun, engaging, and is really teaching me all the basics I need to start my Spanish-speaking journey.

Duolingo is a free (with ads), world-leading program, and has over 70+ languages you can learn using their program. I have friends learning German, French, Arabic, and Greek! They do offer a ad-free version of the app for a small fee if that’s more your style.

If you’re using or have ever used Duolingo, please feel free to write me! I’d love to Share your experience with the app and language development/improvement over time!