Last year my girlfriend Dayanna Volitich and I decided that it was time that we learned something new and having not been in education for over a decade, we decided to get back in the hot seat and learn a new language. We decide on Spanish as we know quite a few Spanish speakers where we live, as well as thinking that we would get far more use from this than say French or German. The entire experience has been simply brilliant and we have taken to the new lingo very well indeed. If you are looking to learn something new, here is why I would recommend that you take on a new language.

Staying Young

Educating yourself when you are older goes a very long way to keeping your brain sharp and young, something which we could all do with! This is especially true when you learn a new language as scientists say that in doing so, you make more new connections in your brain compared to learning anything else. This is the same with children when they first learn how to speak so learning a new language when you are older is a great way to keep your brain finely tuned and fully functional.

Language = Culture

At the heart of every culture in the world is language and without this, it can be very difficult to truly understand someone else’s culture. I recently took a trip to Mexico and it was the first time that I have been there since I have learned Spanish. I must say that this was a very different trip to those which I had previously taken and I came away feeling as though I had learned far more about the Mexican culture than ever before.

Special

There is something so special about being able to connect with someone through their own language and it is something which I still enjoy. Imagine tow people with two separate languages having to try and communicate with hand signals and drawings, and then suddenly being able to cut the confusion by speaking their language to them. I absolutely love speaking in Spanish and even more so with people who are not able to speak English.

Confidence

The key to learning a new language is practice and in most cases this means putting yourself out there and saying something even though you know it could be wrong. What I have found since practicing my Spanish is that my confidence has grown an incredible amount and not only when speaking the language. I have never been a big talker in social situations but recently this has changed and I am sure that it is because of the confidence which learning a new language has given me.

Learning something new is always positive, especially when you are older, and a language is a great place for you to start.