Oh the places you'll go
Your opportunities await
The election of the new pope brought back a lot of memories for me from my time abroad. I try not to talk about it too often because I know how insufferable it can be when someone can’t stop talking about their favorite sandwich from Barthelona, but this is a little different. Unlike those types of stories, this was only possible because I fought for bilingualism. In that, it is the exact type of experience I want you all to have the opportunity to have through the process of learning a new language
My host family was incredible. Without them my experience would have been completely different and nowhere near as enjoyable. Specifically my host mom. She did everything in her power to make me feel at home which, as an 18 year old missing Christmas with his family for the first time, was what I needed more than anything else. Once, I mentioned that I love to play music, specifically piano. So she found and rented a full piano and I played for her almost every night (it was the best way to get out of doing dishes).
As Christmas time was rolling around, she found a program called “Les Jeunes Catho” which means “the young Catholics”. Rotary, at its core, is a service organization so our service events often overlapped with churches and I attended Catholic church weekly with this host family. I felt well integrated into the group, but my French at that point still left something to be desired.
She thought the best way to accelerate my French would be to continue throwing me into situations where I had no choice; and she was right. Two weeks before Christmas, I went with this group, most of whom I had only seen once per week for a couple of months, to the heart of Paris. The next three days were some of the most incredible times in my life. We started by attending mass at the Notre Dame, meeting at point zero the point from which everything in France is measured.
After that we walked across the street, got creme brûlée in a small cafe (honestly, not really my thing). What happened next I would have never once imagined possible. We went to another church for the evening for a prayer night, that was wonderful, but it got better when we were done. By that time, I was kind of tired of walking and thinking in French. I could tell I was getting irritable and then I find out we are going to have to climb up a hundred some stairs to get to our place of lodging.
What I did not know, at the time, is that we had to do that because we would be spending the night in Sacré Coeur. When I talk about experiences that you can’t get without speaking the local language, this is the type of thing I am talking about. Sure, if you have enough money you can probably buy your way in anywhere. However, the experience is different when you are there experiencing it with new friends you’ve made.
After sleeping in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, we had the opportunity to walk the Champs Elysées, visit the Eiffel Tower, touch the pyramids at the Louvre, and pretty much anything you can imagine within Paris. These are the things that I want everyone to be able to experience. It is the primary reason I am so passionate about language acquisition.
Some of the greatest people in my life are people who do not speak my native language. There are so many amazing people you will meet in the world with your new language, near infinite amounts of new music to encounter, and so much world to see. Learning new languages has given me access to more of the world than I ever thought possible and I think everyone should have access to that.
Opportunities are abundant, but without the ability to read about them, you will find it nearly impossible to participate in them. If it were up to me, I would have never participated in something like this because I would have never thought to look for it. Having someone who loved me enough to push me out of my comfort zone has given me some of my most precious memories. I understand how difficult learning a new language is and I want to commend you for putting the effort in to acquire new languages.
Just know that all of the effort you are putting in right now will pay off. Though what I experienced may be most interesting to me, I want you to take some time to think about the opportunities you might have in the future. The sky truly is the limit, but if you don’t even think about the possibilities they will be nearly impossible to discover. I had a guardian angel looking after me.
Often we rely on teachers and counselors for things like this and I do my best to find opportunities for my students, but you have to find what is best for you, too. Opportunities for language acquisition are abundant and the benefits are life long. Over time you will be able to see the benefits more and more, but it is never too early to start looking out for them. It will be difficult, but you can do difficult things and be great. So go look for some cool opportunities to do difficult things and become great. I am rooting for you.
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