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Bryan Orellana
Professor Lewis
English 113A
11 November 2015
Adapting and Benefitting from the Spanish Language
Growing up in a Guatemalan household taught me how to speak Spanish over the
years. Spanish was the primary language spoken in my home, whether it was my family
or a relative coming over for celebrations the language spoken was only Spanish. At the
age of five I remember my mother explicitly telling me, Queiro que aprendas espanol
bien, porque te va ayudar en el futuro. In other words, she wanted me to learn the
Spanish language fluently because it would be beneficial to my future. A second language
can be beneficial for me because it can provide me with more opportunities in the near
future. As of today I consider myself bilingual because I know how to read and write in
English and Spanish. Therefore, throughout my childhood years I encountered a variety
of experiences that helped me how to speak, read, and write in Spanish.
My primary language is English. I began to learn the language at the age of three.
The school I attended to learn the English language was Dayton Heights Elementary
School. I did not find it difficult in learning the language with the help of great teachers
and mentors. Moving on, I really had no choice to inherit the Spanish language or not
because that was the only language that was spoken to me. My parents emigrated from
Guatemala to the United States in the late 1980s in searching of a better life here, and
wanting to escape the Civil War that was occurring in their country. Therefore, as an
immigrant their only language was Spanish. When I was a child they had no other way to

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communicate to me. As time past I began to understand the Spanish language. As soon as
I turned six I knew the language very well and it was the only language I spoke at home. I
would always tell myself I would speak English at school and Spanish at home. Everyday
I arrived home from school and the first thing I was obligated to say was good afternoon
in Spanish it was a sign of respect. Basically, everyday I came from school I had to speak
in Spanish because there was no other way to communicate to my parents at the time.
Eventually, my parents learned the English language through the assistance of my sister.
My sister would help them pay bills. Through that assistance my parents grained
experience in comprehending and speaking the English language. So with my parents
constantly speaking to me in Spanish at home, my mind began to adapt to the language
pretty easily. Thats where I began to speak Spanish often.
Adapting to the Spanish language was not difficult for me because it was in my
genes to easily learn the language. The environment in my household consisted of
Spanish all the time. Every single-family member or relative I have come from immigrant
parents. With that being said, all of my cousins were well accustomed to speaking
Spanish too. Everyone started speaking amongst each other in Spanish, it became more
like a tradition. I got used to speaking to everyone in the same language, which helped
me become more fluent in Spanish. If I were to talk to any of my family members in
English they would either not understand what I was saying or they would get mad. For
example, one day we had dinner at my house, my mom had made her delicious chile
rellenos. Somehow, my mother forgot to put the spoons and forks on the table and I
reminded her by saying, Ma you forget the spoons and forks, what are we going to eat
with. She got a little frustrated because she did not understand a word I said. So she

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replied to me saying, Por favor habla espanol Bryan! In other words, please talk in
Spanish. When this situation occurred, I realized that I could not speak to my family in
any other language but Spanish. I had no problem speaking Spanish everyday because I
saw myself progressing in my speaking and writing skills in that particular language.
As I continued learning Spanish, at the age of 13 I was lucky enough to have spent
Christmas and New Years in Guatemala. It was such a great experience, with fairs and
carnivals occurring every single day. Although, there was no such thing as sleeping
comfortable in that country because fireworks were blowing everywhere and all night.
Other than that, it was such a fulfilling and pleasant trip because I met my mothers side
of the family: my grandmother, great grandmother, cousins, and aunts. It was great
meeting them they welcomed me us with open hearts. The only language I spoke was
Spanish because the people over there had no clue what English was it was pretty funny.
This experience was very enlightening because I learned more Spanish than I already
knew. Such as new slang words, transitional words, and some curse words. If I wanted to
buy fireworks or tickets for the fair rides I would have to communicate to the seller in
Spanish. I only spent two weeks in Guatemala but I grew so close to my cousins and
aunts over there. One thing I learned was that the kids from Guatemala are obligated to
take an English class, and I found that very interesting because I never knew a Central
American country was required to take an English class. The purpose of this class was to
learn the basics of the English language so if they were to encounter a situation that dealt
with the English language they would know how to handle it. So, the overall lesson in
this trip was that I expanded my Spanish vocabulary because not every Latin country has
the same from of Spanish. I learned new words that they use. It was very interesting and

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beneficial.
The experiences I encountered as a child assisted me in learning the Spanish
language. It has been very beneficial to me as of today. It has assisted me in getting jobs,
internships and other activities. The United States is known for not having a primary
language because of the diversity there is in this country. In other words, being bilingual
is very important to communicate with others. The experiences that I encountered
throughout my childhood age not only helped me speak Spanish but to read and write it
as well.