Lessons from Our Elders

Jumping into Things

A couple years out of college, when I was just starting out putting my education into practice, I was teaching in an area that had many Spanish speakers. During college I had received a minor in Spanish but honestly, I was still rusty when it came to things outside of everyday conversations. Over the summer I chose to travel to a Guatemalan language school to immerse myself in Spanish.

I took around six hours of language classes a day with volunteering thrown in for some interactive practice. The very first time I was set to volunteer with my group, I was both nervous and excited, ready to get out into the community but not really sure what to expect. My assignment: To enter an assisted living home to be an extra set of hands. The first couple of days with the elderly were really rough because I couldn’t think of the sentences that I had practiced. Even trying to use some phrases that I had recently learned was a flop because the people didn’t seem to understand me.

The Area

The section used for housing the elderly was in something that looked like a converted church and, if I recall correctly, was being used for services on the weekend. There were long hallways and tall, stone arches with workers perched on scaffolding to update certain areas of the building. It was run down, but upkeep was still a priority.

The workers at the home often had multiple jobs, including cleaning, working with volunteers, kitchen duty, and nursing. During my volunteering day I was assigned linen duty and also followed a couple elderly folks to usher them to their activities. Since this was an immersion experience, I followed a head woman who did not know English, so I had to pay careful attention as she explained the directions and areas where I would be working. Much of the instructions were self-explanatory and I could follow through miming her actions, but when it came to specifics, I had to figure it out.

Some Hard Truths

A couple of the older ladies spoke better English than I did Spanish and just laughed at me because I admitted I didn’t speak Spanish well. One old lady who needed a lot of help shook her head throughout the day and stated, “You don’t speak Spanish well. You don’t know Spanish. No, you don't speak well.” I was discouraged and frustrated that I couldn’t get through to her.

Finally, at the very end of the week, I was in charge of feeding her dinner, which was a mash of some thing yellow with potatoes and other vegetables, along with some soft meats. I tried to think of random things to talk about in Spanish, similar to what I do in English, and this time it actually worked. She said that I had picked up on some Spanish, and that I just need to keep practicing. I learned from another helper that she tends to be a pessimistic sort for whom the world is half empty because of losses she had suffered. She told me that day that she had lost a couple people close to her and had been alone for many years before coming to the community home.

And Now…

I continue to explore new countries and always jump at any opportunity to use my Spanish! I am currently studying to take a test in Spanish that might open up more opportunities to use for teaching experiences in the future. Working with the small community in Guatemala was one of the most difficult moments, but it taught me to keep going and to try my best. Of course I might not always get it right! But sticking to something is better than admitting defeat. It doesn’t have to sound perfect the first time, but the doors that are opened with learning languages are worth much more than a few days of being uncomfortable. The answers for anything new are not always going to come easily, but there are so many times when the hard work is worth the effort. There’s always room for more learning!