"Learning a language will CHANGE your LIFE."
I say this often, and it could sound extreme. But for me, it's true. Languages started a grand chain reaction in my life which brought me experiences, jobs, friends, and new ways of thinking. I'm profoundly grateful for each of these aspects of my life today, and things are only (slowly, but surely) expanding and improving.
Let's Go Back to the Beginning.
Where did my "thing" for languages start?
My father traveled for work when I was a child. This was something which happened quite often. As a very little kid, I remember missing him but also remember him on Skype calls with me and my sister talking about wherever he went. Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Canada... there were lots of places, lots of times, and he brought back lots of interesting pieces of his experiences there. I have a coin collection, a Brazilian handmade jewelry box, and a handmade doll from Mexico still. This was fascinating to me. My parents aren't multilingual, but they have a big worldview.
My great grandmother was a self-made business woman who grew up in the Great Depression era. After WWII, she traveled the world. I have a significant number of decorative spoons from an extremely large number of countries which she collected over time. Again, this is fascinating to me.
My first foreign language was Spanish, given where I grew up and where my dad often worked (south of the U.S. border). My mom taught me the colors and numbers when I was really little, and I know this because when I was 5 my favorite word was "rojo" (red). I properly started learning Spanish at about 8 years old. By 13-ish, I had developed quite an obsession with it after learning it on and off for years. Verbs, music, and book quotes circulated in my head even during my sleep. I started to dream in Spanish, and eventually had a few short term translation roles locally.
What's the Deal with Eastern Europe?
If Spanish is my second language, why is the majority of my time and experiences so heavily integrated with Eastern Europe?
Learning Spanish proved to me that I could learn another language well. Once you begin to think in a new way and become fascinated with the differences, you're hooked. That's my opinion.
I did ballroom dancing from the time I was 8 years old, for 10 years. The majority of music we danced to was in Spanish (lucky for me), but the majority of my classmates and teachers were from Eastern Europe, especially when I attended training camps.
A lot of times, I was one of the only people in a class who didn't speak Russian. Eventually, I was THE only one in a room of Russian speakers, and I wanted to know what's going on. This was the first day I regarded that language as being pretty, because they were so nice and accepting of me learning a new dance style. I was quickly charmed into thinking I can learn the alphabet and greetings in a snap, and make a nice little gesture. Wrong! It took me two or three weeks to say "zdravstvutye" (hello).
Ah, I thought. This is not going ideally, is it?
I was 14 or 15 then. A lot of people were doubtful that 1.) I would follow through with the language, 2.) I could find a use for this language, and 3.) I could speak coherently in this language enough to be respected or respectable. Now I know that's not the case. I kept giving it a shot. My parents once joked to someone inquiring about why their 16-year-old daughter is learning Russian. "When they invade and try to take over or something, you'll need her." It got a lot of laughs because people my parents' age and onward are Cold War kids. But guess what? We've all seen what's on television. And people do need me now, just not the way I thought they would when I originally planned on going to Russia one day. :)
I met a guy from Eastern Ukraine through a language learning group. I was learning Russian, he was learning English. At this point, I became fascinated with the politics, history, and Ukrainian things. I credit him fully with starting the fire that is my love for Ukraine and Ukrainian people. Add to that my specific interest in Odesa, which was fueled by a nice friendship with a lady from Odesa who danced with me at camps. She would take me out and speak to me only in Russian, which my A1 brain could hardly comprehend. I realize now how much it helped.
Fast forward to 2021, when I finally went to Odesa, Ukraine and met the language group connections I had been writing and talking with for a long time already. This was a life-changing experience for me, not only because of them and their influence but because of the English teaching community I was able to be integrated with afterwards. There is one English teacher who sticks out in my mind as a kindred spirit; I remember walking with her and her son and feeling connected to the city and to her as a person because of it. I admire her, miss her, and revere her for her independence, determination, and talent. She is basically the person I want to be in 10 years: she travels anywhere in the world, helps her students grow and succeed, and shares love all around. That's unforgettable to me.
By accident, I met my friend from Kyiv in a museum. I was wandering there by myself just as she was, and I volunteered to take photos for her if she'll do the same for me. We have those photos, of course, but also photos together. We became fast friends after realizing we're not only the same age but have similar interests. I was very impressed by her English.
Because of my connections from Ukraine, I was able to start working with a Ukrainian language school full of very talented people, which I still love and support to this day.
Not the End
You'd think the war would be the end of this, but it's not. I went to Poland the next year, because I couldn't go back to Odesa. It's not entirely about that. First of all, I just wanted to see my friends again. They are Ukrainian and were studying in Warsaw. Secondly, I wanted to meet refugees. Lastly, I love Poland because of another person I met during the pandemic in 2020. We were in a learning group together (see a trend?) and he showed me walkthrough tours of Old Town in Warsaw on YouTube. There began my pipe dream to go to Warsaw. I've been more than once. I wrote a blog about my favorite places, too. I love Poland and its capital endlessly, and that's why I want to learn Polish. My memories in Poland are golden.
Academic German
I picked German as my major language of concentration at the beginning of my university experience, partially as a nod to my roots and partially out of curiosity. If I can learn Russian, I can learn German. This was the thought process. That was partially true. I like German as my fourth language, as complex and perplexing as it is. The most defining point of my experience with German was the opportunity to go live in Berlin for a few months, so that I could work and study for university credit.
The internship I had was an unforgettable opportunity granted to me almost magically by my previous experiences, which included learning 2 foreign languages, traveling solo, and (most importantly) my obsession with Ukraine and the fact that I've actually been there. This determined the topic of my research project involving Ukraine's amazing ability to technologically innovate with an administrative app and portal which is surviving both the war's infrastructural and cyberattacks. There was one issue: I couldn't experiment with this technology myself, because one requirement for that is having a Ukrainian ID and registering with a Ukrainian bank account.
Guess what? My friends from Ukraine were helping me along the way. Not only could they show me how beneficial these developments are for them both at home and abroad, but they did mini interviews with me about how it's changed things for them. What a full-circle moment to celebrate.
Speaking of friends, my friend from that museum was living in Berlin at the time because of the war. It's another full-circle moment where our paths crossed again, in another country, and we were able to spend lots of time together. I'm forever grateful for her and her influence on my life, no matter where we are.
Still Not the End
There were many other full-circle moments because of my experiences with language, and I'm living in many of them right this moment. I continue to feel purpose teaching in all the languages I speak and helping people reach their goals in life. Through my network around the world, I had the opportunity to experience real love and real connections I never thought possible.
Little experiences with the world early on brought me to learn Spanish. Learning Spanish brought me to understand that I could learn more. Learning to dance brought me to learn Russian. Learning Russian brought me to my interest in Ukraine and all the meaningful people in my life from there. Learning about Ukraine brought me to a fantastic project in Germany. Working on a project in Germany brought me back to one of my best friends. One of my best friends brings me to understanding myself, my goals, and my future. My goals catapult me to bigger and brighter horizons.
Learn a language, change your life.
Odessa, 2021.
Copyright Lauri Speaksâ„—, 2023