← Back to all stories

Jordan

Rhodes School , River Grove , Illinois

This was quite recent, I went on a vacation to surprise some family members I haven't seen in around 7 years. It was quite odd from the huge temperature change from being in the cold to being in the hot in just the span of a few hours. We later reached Puerto Rico. I was in Puerto Rico for about 1 week. We did many different activities. We went to see the wildlife, went to a lake with water that glows when you move your hand in it, drank coconut water, and so much more! Those days felt like a regular vacation that anyone can experience. That isn't what changed me though, what changed me was the last couple of days in Puerto Rico. In the last 3 days of being in Puerto Rico, it was when we started to visit family that we haven't seen in a long time. We visited my grandparents within the span of those 3 days. For the first day, we visited my grandmother. It was a surprise as she and my grandfather didn't know we were coming. My dad asked her what apartment number she was and to come look outside, she covered her mouth. She started crying because she was so happy seeing us in person after so many years. She spoke mainly Spanish and a small amount of English, the only problem is that I know a small amount of Spanish and spoke English. That was a language barrier, so we didn't talk much. It was nice seeing her after so long. We were there for a couple of hours before going back to our AirBnB.

The 2nd day, we visited her again and talked a bit more. Then, my dad said we were going to visit his father tomorrow. The next day, we drove for a while until we got to his neighborhood and saw him. He was suspicious at first as he never saw that car pull up into the neighborhood before. Once he realized who it was, he started to talk to all of us, but I didn't really talk much as he only speaks Spanish. I looked around and for some odd reason, he has a lot of chickens. I don't know what he does with them, but all I know is that he has around 20 chickens in total. There was also a birthday party going on that same day. I was given cake and the cake was pretty good. I was upset that I couldn't really talk to my grandparents since they spoke Spanish.

Now, on the trip back to my home state, I wanted to learn something new. I wanted to know how to speak Spanish. This is a bit odd because I never wanted to learn a language before. I want to communicate with my grandparents before it's too late. Before I regret not learning Spanish when I had the chance. My goal is to be able to talk to my grandparents on our next trip to Puerto Rico. That will be in years so I have plenty of time. I just want to create a stronger relationship and bond with my grandparents. There are also many other reasons why I should learn Spanish, like for jobs, if I ever travel, etc… But talking to my grandparents is what I want most. I have been using apps to learn Spanish like Duolingo. At the very least, I want to be able to have a proper conversation with my grandparents the next time we go to Puerto Rico or the next time she visits us. Like I mentioned before, I have a lot of time on my hands to become a good Spanish speaker. If the apps don't help me out, I'll be taking Spanish classes in high school. And if those classes don't help, I see if dad helps.

© Jordan. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.