Hubby and I had a discussion about regrets recently. Sometimes we have regrets about things we can’t do anything about now. Other times we have regrets about things that we didn’t do, but have the ability to change. And part of life is taking chances.
One of the regrets I have is not learning a second language.
There are many advantages to knowing multiples languages.
- More job opportunities
- Boosting your brain power
- More likely to travel to different parts of the world
- Improvement in your first language
- Increase in the understanding of the world
- Memory improvement
- Sharpens your mind
- Experience of new cultures
- Enhanced decision making skills
Fortunately, that is something I have the ability to change, so hubby and I have now taken on the challenge of learning Spanish. It is the second most spoken language here in the U.S. and having friends and family who speak Spanish, it’s a good language for us to know.
For us, there are some problems in learning Spanish.
- We’re not as young as we used to me so our brains don’t have as much learning flexibility as they used to.
- Not being around regular Spanish speakers doesn’t allow it to stick quite as easily.
Since science hasn’t come up with a way for us to reverse the aging process, there isn’t anything we can do about #1. Although learning a new language will certainly be helpful (see the bulleted list above). However, spending time with Spanish speaking friends and family or taking a trip to a Spanish speaking country would be very helpful in giving us a boost. I do believe immersion is the best way to learn a new language, so maybe a trip in the future isn’t a bad idea.
worldofweeks 