I haven’t mentioned this in any posts yet, but a lot of my time in Venezuela has been spent speaking (or trying to speak) Spanish. I’m not particularly good at it, but slowly but surely I’m remembering what I learned in highschool, and adding little phrases and words as people teach them to me.
People say its best to learn by immersion, but I never really understood what they meant until now. I’m honestly starting to think primarily in Spanish instead of English, and I’m speaking in Spanish as often as I can; even to people who speak English. Right there, when I typed “English”? I actually thought “Ingles” yeah. Its kinda cool, kinda creepy, and all around impressive. The human brain really is good at adapting to its surroundings.
That is pretty amazing, since I don’t recall Spanish being any where near your strong suit in school. But you’re right, when you’re in the culture 24/7 somehow the language just clicks.