Learning the language

I believe there are 2 important things I have learned and about speaking Spanish that can help anyone. They are:

1. Confidence           
2. Listen

It may be different for other languages, but I am having the same epiphany all over again...

Confidence.  Attempting to speak the native language of a foreign country can be debilitating especially when you have been tought how to speak, in a classroom, back home. Therefore if you are eager to learn it you have to let go of your pride and ego and start looking stupid. I have had to bolster up the confidence to converse anytime, anywhere(taxi, stores, directions). I say it how I think it should be said and if I am right, great! If not, hopefully I will be corrected, or they simply understand part of what I am saying. Just speak! Or at least TRY, or else, you will remain a leh hoo eh zerr.

Listen. This, by the way, applies to every language and practically any situation in life. In reference to language; whenever someone is speaking to me in a fast paced, slang, and distracting environment, the only thing I want to do to avoid sounding stupid. What do I do?  I attempt to prepare a response that is coherent and not dumb sounding(see above). BUT, the whole time that person is talking to me in Spanish, I am losing the most valuable lesson in language of the day. I am not hearing what they say. It is like a free Spanish session, and I am too preocupied worrying about how I will sound, to even listen to what they are saying or asking!! So, when I come to the situation where someone is speaking to me in Spanish, I actually take the time, to listen, and when they stop I don't just blurt out, uh duhhh SI, SI, SI, I relax and manage to touch upon some aspect of what they were saying, in the best way I can, or anyway I can. I believe that is what formulates a 2 way dialogue in a foreign language.

¡Buena suerte!