The Story Behind The Spanish Light
My Spanish Journey
I’ll never forget my first mission trip to Mexico during my sophomore year of high school. I knew zero Spanish, but I wanted to learn as much as I could while there. I was constantly asking how to say things and speaking English way too loudly with the hopes they’d somehow understand me if I just spoke louder. Anyone else been there? So embarrassing. That was before I even took my first year of high school Spanish, and it was there that I discovered my love for the language.
Isn’t it beautiful when we pause to reflect, and we see God’s fingerprints all over our story?
I had a taste of traveling abroad and wanted more, so during undergrad I did a study abroad program in Tegucigalpa, Honduras as part of my Spanish and Elementary Education majors. That experience changed me forever. It led me to go back and teach at a private bilingual school for what started out as a 2 year contract and then turned into 9 remarkable years. During that time, I also completed my masters in T.E.S.O.L. (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
After my husband and I met and married in Honduras, we aspired to want a safer environment for our future children. So we threw ourselves into the culture shock experience of moving to/back to the United States, and God led us to North Carolina. I’ve enjoyed teaching language whether it be English or Spanish for over 14 years and am now enjoying the greatest adventure yet…raising our daughter to speak Spanish!
Why The Spanish Light?
What are your dreams for your child? We all have dreams for our children and what we hope for them to aspire to be. So, I confess, I want my daughter to love dancing like her parents (and it seems like she already does, yeah!). However, I’m not just talking about any dream. I’m talking about the dream where your child surpasses your ability, becomes what you didn’t, has more than you. I’m describing the dream that you’d give all of your being to make it happen.
My dream is that my child will be bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English as well as bicultural. And just as strongly, I want her to love Jesus and to show His love to the world.
In moving from Honduras to the United States, I knew we’d have to work so much harder at raising our children to be bilingual as we’d lose that immersion experience. Where English is the common language around us, how do I compete with it? We are choosing to take the approach where both of us parents speak in Spanish, and Spanish is our home language. So, yes, I’m a native English speaker teaching my child to speak Spanish.
I’ve heard so many friends say over the years how they wish they could have raised their child to speak Spanish and these are friends who do speak Spanish. So why haven’t they made it happen? The bilingual journey is one that involves intense intentionality, lots of resources, and dedication.
So I’m so glad you’ve found my site. I hope you’ll let me shine some light on your journey, equip you along the way, and encourage you as well.
Here’s my little bilingual family. We can often be found outside playing, gardening, walking/running, biking or hiking, in the kitchen dancing while cooking up gourmet meals, on the floor reading books or playing games, in the shed getting into mischief with a DIY project, or in the car on road trips.
