I, personally, am a Spanish major, but I've taken two and half years of German and a year an a half of French. There's also a website called Coursera that offers a free Korean class that I've been taking. As a graduating senior, these are the struggles I have found in my everyday life.
1. When you walk into class on the first day and the professor is trying out immersion.
No, no we don't, and my brain is tired after 10 minutes. I need a break and snacks.
2. When you have a language class that lasts longer than an hour
And your teacher wants to use every bit of that time speaking.
Really, my brain is mush after 30 minutes.
3. That magical moment when you finally understand
Yes! My brain comprehends your foreign speech!
4. But then you speak to a new person and understand nothing
Wait, what? Yesterday I understood perfectly and now I feel like I’m in the very first class again.
5. When spelling from your second language sneaks into your native tongue
Does professor have one ‘f’ or two? Does it use a 'ph'?
6. When someone starts speaking to you in one language but you were expecting the other
Really, I’m trying here.
7. That awesome moment when you understand a word better in your native tongue because it has a root in the language you're studying
I’m looking at you, Latin.
8. When you think you can learn a third language because it’s so close to the second you learned
But it actually has different grammar and words and spelling, and it's way over your head
9. How awkward those classes are when everyone is at different levels
And the teacher is like “okay, pair up and talk to each other.”
10. When you want to travel and you have a reason to do so, but you have no money
I was told that living in another country would help me learn more quickly.
11. When you finally get to study abroad, it’s awesome
But then you go to the store and you have no idea what the prices mean.
12. When you’re watching a show and your friends ask you to interpret
“Hello, I am George.” “Nice to meet you.”
13. Or there’s a song on and the same thing happens
It’s even harder than interpreting TV because you can’t see their mouth and words slur together in songs.
14. Even worse, when you’re at a restaurant and someone asks you what the people speaking in a foreign language behind you are talking about
I’m not trying to eavesdrop. They are probably just trying to understand the menu and their conversation is along the lines of “What is ‘mushroom'?”
15. But then you actually try to eavesdrop
And you can’t understand most of what’s being said because it is a different accent than you are used to.
16. Being asked what you’re going to do with it
I have no idea, but hopefully not teaching high school.
17. When it is close to graduation and you panic
Because, really, what do I do now?
