The Potential for Something New and Exciting

One month. Language intensive program. Costa Rica.

Do you know how much of my yearnings to learn that would satisfy at one time? More than I can even keep track of. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. And I am so determined to make it a reality.

With this program I would travel there for a month, live with a host family, and attend approximately 4 hours of class, Monday through Friday. All Spanish. It would take care of the rest of my language requirements for my Spanish minor. I keep trying to wrap my mind around how wild it would be to use only Spanish for a month, no need for English. It's a strange concept that I actually think about quite often; I sometimes find myself writing out the Spanish word for certain things when I'm supposed to be writing in English, or occasionally I'll stumble over some words when I'm talking, not because I can't say it, but because I start to say it in the wrong language. All of that, just from taking some classes here in the United States. But how powerful would it be to speak nothing but Spanish for a month, and then return here and go back to using English? It blows my mind.

I want to learn to speak Spanish fluently, I want to be able to use that in applying for a job and in my career. I want to be able to teach my children than English is not the only, nor the first, language in the world. And also, I desperately want to travel. This used to be a want that has turned into a need, a need that is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. I want to experience things outside of my daily life. I want to step out of my comfort zone and try something foreign and exciting. I need to, I need to get unstuck, I need to get inspired.

It's not going to be easy to make this happen. It's going to take a lot of extra work over the next few months for me to make sure this is going to work out, but I can do it. I can make it happen because I know this is something I may never have the opportunity for again. Determination.