Learning Spanish Is Like Training for a Sport

I didn’t just wake up one day speaking Spanish. Not even close. I trained for it the way an athlete trains for game day -well, more like an amateur athlete. Because here’s the truth: it’s not about being “talented” or finding a magic trick. It’s about showing up, every single day. Even when nobody’s watching. Even when the results don’t come right away. Even when I didn’t “feel the vibe” to study.

Think about an athlete. They don’t wait to feel motivated before practice. They lace up, step onto the field, and do the reps. That’s how I treated Spanish. Talking to the grocery store clerk, learning new words, pushing my introverted self to speak up -I just kept showing up. Consistency, plus calming my nerves, was my game plan.

The Trip That Changed Everything

My real turning point came when I took a break from working as logistics manager/instructor with Outward Bound in a small Texas town near Big Bend National Park. I was craving something different, so I did some research, scraped together some cash, and packed my bags for Guatemala -a six-week trip, alone.

I enrolled in a language school in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, had one-on-one instruction, and lived with a host family. I learned a ton. And, well, it was overwhelming. The language, yes, but also the culture, the powerful women I met, the history, even the U.S. involvement in Guatemala. My learner mindset was stretched in every direction.

Then I went back home. Back to Texas, back to “real life.” But something had shifted. I’d risked myself, stretched myself, and had grown some roots.

A year later, I returned -two weeks in Guatemala, then on to Nicaragua to volunteer at a public school and on a potable water project. I stumbled through conversations, met amazing people, and kept practicing. I was even given the task of interpreting for others on the water project.  That really stretched me.  Before leaving to head back to the US, I stopped back at my school in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. That’s when my teachers said, “You can speak Spanish.”

I laughed and said, “I thought that’s what I’d been doing this whole time.” They just smiled. And that said it all.

The truth is, I learned because I had to perform. Basics, practice, immersion, feedback and then repeating that cycle plus using it in real life. Well, that’s what made the difference.

And holy hell, I did have epic moments. There I was, alone, riding local buses, figuring things out with shaky Spanish and sheer determination. Those moments taught me to trust the process and give myself grace when things felt boring or overwhelming. Just keep moving toward your goal.

From Learner to Teacher

Not long after those trips, I found myself on the other side of the classroom. I had experience teaching in the ‘field’ at Outward Bound, and I extended that as an instructor in both in persona and field studies - first at Prescott College, then the community college, and later in K–12 schools. And along the way, I did get a Master’s in Spanish from Northern Arizona Univ. There I learned that though I knew a lot, but I had a long way to to go… Good teachers and immersive experiences jumped back into my life while a grad student while I taught undergrads basic Spanish. I was sincerely humbled by being thrown into the world of studentship while there.

Teaching turned out to be one of the best ways to cement my own understanding when the map was not so clear in my head. What I didn’t expect was how much the work of relationship -to myself, my students, and the community -was intertwined with language learning. It wasn’t just about verbs and vocabulary. It was about connection.

Progress, Not Perfection

So… I kept going. Reps calming myself when nerves hit. Reps running through words in my head before I needed them. Reps saying and re-saying things until they stuck.

At first, I carried this little voice that said, “This is too hard – you are an INTROVERT after all.. - it’s hard to keep up a language without immersion.” But every time I showed up - every time I stretched myself a bit further -I proved that voice wrong. Confidence came from practice, not perfection.

And here’s what no one tells you: once you lean in, it actually gets fun. Like a game. When you stop sitting on the sidelines and step in as a real player, the practice is the proof. That’s when the results sneak up on you.