Language people

I’ve written a lot about Dominicans that I’ve met here, but not too much about the other Americans I’ve met. There are 19 other people in my program, ISA, from all over the country. I’m pretty sure that all of them are either Spanish majors or Spanish minors, like me.

Most of my friends at my university aren’t language people. I mean, okay, to be honest, there really aren’t a lot of language people there at all. I feel pretty confident in saying that 75% of the people I meet are either studying some type of science or engineering. Or both.

That’s one reason why it’s been so nice to get to meet other like-minded people here. Here are a few examples of what makes these people different from many of the people I’m close with at school/home:

When I was spotted reading my Spanish version of the first Harry Potter book, the response was not “…why the hell aren’t you reading that in English?” but “Hey can I borrow that once you’re done??”

I’m not the only person in my group of friends here who appreciates Pitbull and Daddy Yankee for all of their trashy Spanish rap goodness.

Speaking Spanglish and actually being understood. “Vas a salir tonight or would you rather just quedarte aquí?” “Comiste yet?” “Where are my malditas llaves?”

Just to reiterate, people here like and actually understand the same kind of music that I like. A few nights ago I was out with a group of my friends, and we were more excited for the Spanish version of Waka Waka than for Usher’s OMG.

Plus, it takes a certain type of person to love a language so much as to completely leave all that they're familiar with to travel to an island in the middle of a Caribbean, where nothing is familiar, and study there in a language other than their first, for at least four months. Some people are here for nine.



I love my school and home friends, but just as I can’t really get excited about organic chemistry and political science, most of them don't really understand my excitement when I find a new foreign artist or buy a movie that comes with both French and Spanish subtitles.