Story written by Kevin Emore, NPTS, ’14

I wish my first foray into Spanish was a little more profound than “I need to take a language, let’s give Spanish a shot,” but it really wasn’t.

I was coming back to the US for the first time in almost ten years after living and working on four different continents doing a variety of jobs from being in the military, to consulting, to politics and government to playing hockey. Yet, despite all of that time away I had very little identification with the cultures I spent so much time apart of. Well, outside of being able to ask for the check in Arabic or Korean or having just enough German to understand what harsh things opposing fans were actually calling me. I always had a sincere desire to learn a second language, but learning “on the fly” in another country seemed too intimidating. I would be exposed, uncomfortable. So, instead, I blamed the cultures I lived in. “The people in Country X aren’t welcoming to foreigners” and “Everyone speaks English here” became two of my favorite talking points to mask my true reasons for not pursuing a second language – insecurity.

Prior to attending MIIS, my most recent professional experience was at the Hedayah Center for Countering Violent Extremism in Abu Dhabi. There, our team was exposed to the importance of youth and cultural engagement in addressing the root causes of extremism. Our work in these areas was incredibly informative and rewarding, but we found without language skills it is difficult to build real trust and sustainable relationships in local communities. You will always be an outsider and miss nuances that are incredibly important to truly understanding your working environment.

After the Summer Intensive Language Program (SILP) and two semesters of Spanish at MIIS, I still, by no means, consider myself bilingual, but the language learning process has built a curiosity that is already taken me to Latin America several times. My experience, particularly working for a non-profit in Colombia over J-term, immediately validated my efforts in Spanish class. Even as co-workers or local citizens struggled to understand more complex thoughts, they were willing to open up, to give me the time to struggle through my ideas because they could see that I genuinely cared and that I was trying. And because of that, I was able to gain a level of insight I had not experienced in others cultures. Learning a second language is frustrating and exhausting at times. There are days when you think there is no hope, but there are also days when you find you’ll surprise yourself and explain what an auxiliary cable is to a Guatemalan street vendor. The language learning style at MIIS may feel unorthodox at times, you will feel overwhelmed, but it instills the ability to problem solve and learn a language through more complex and topical concepts. I have felt exposed many times, I have felt insecure, but I have also found a greater sense of perspective about the process of learning a language and a stronger connection with the communities I have had the pleasure of working in.