I was going through some photos this past weekend and I realized that I never shared some of our Easter pictures with you guys! We had such a great Easter weekend and it was so nice having Benjamin home to celebrate too. We spent time with family a few days prior and decided to keep the weekend more lowkey. Every year we dye eggs and this year was the most fun yet! The boys were so into all of the details and it was such a fun way to share stories and a little bit of history behind why eggs are used as a symbolism of life. These pictures also got me thinking about how awesome it is to have such a hands-on husband and how truly blessed we are. I know so very mushy but I honestly don't think I say it enough and I know that words of affirmation is something Benjamin appreciates and so I am working on that daily! I've also been asked more recently about how Benjamin learned Spanish and his experience with raising our children bilingual. It's been really helpful having Benjamin speak Spanish at home too. He's so much better at it than me some days haha! I decided the best way to share his experience as a non-native speaker raising our children bilingual was to interview him! If you scroll to the bottom of this post you can read the full interview. As always, I think my biggest tip for learning a second language is to practice. Also, if you can surround yourself with people that speak it then that is so effective!
How did you learn Spanish?
I started to learn Spanish in middle school. I participated in several service learning opportunities which were immersions into Spanish-speaking communities. Then I lived in a remote part of the Amazon rainforest, where Spanish was the main common language among many cultures.
What interested you in the language?
In middle school, I wanted to learn Spanish because the teacher was an amazing educator. He engaged us actively & encouraged us to practice even if we sounded funny or didn't say the words quite right. He reinforced that it was more important to try to speak than to wait until we could speak "perfectly". Later, I met a beautiful woman and I wanted to impress her father & her family, so I began practicing my Spanish more frequently. (this made me LOL and I may have been blushing too)
As a non-native Spanish speaker what was the biggest challenge in re-learning Spanish when we met?
The biggest challenge was vocabulary. I learned a number of words in the Amazon that were colloquial and didn't make sense outside those communities.
What helped you most in regaining the language skill?
Practice. I practiced with anyone and everyone who spoke Spanish. Sometimes, Spanish-speaking people switched to English because I couldn't understand something. I politely asked them to continue in Spanish so I could continue to practice even when it was more challenging.
What made you want to teach our littles Spanish in the home?
I wanted them to learn at least one other language than English. Learning Spanish is a matter of cultural pride & a fantastic skill to share.
Any tips for my readers who want to teach their children a second language?Start early. And, it's never too late to start. Find local people or groups that speak the language. Engage them. Immerse yourself in the language & the culture of the people who speak it.
We hope this is helpful! And as always if you have any more questions please feel free to comment with them!
