I admire friends who speak several languages. My boss at work speaks, apart from English, four other languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Slovak and French. It always leaves me in awe how quickly she switches from one language to another whenever we have meetings. When I moved here in Europe, carrying two Spanish surnames 'Real' and 'Del Rosario', most colleagues at work thought that I speak Spanish. In a sort of a trial by fire, my name was added in our Translation queue, hoping I would be able to translate documents from Spanish to English, and vice versa.
Let's go back in time ... Philippines was under Spain's over 300-year-long occupation between 1565 and 1898. Surely, this would have been long enough for Filipinos to learn the Spanish language, just as we learned English. Unfortunately, since our independence from Spain in 1898, the language has lost most of its speakers. When Spain ceded the country to the United States, the English language was promoted instead of Spanish. Spanish lost its official status in 1987, and was removed as a college requirement, becoming only an optional course. Today, it is said to be offered in only in the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and the University of San Carlos in Cebu. Sources: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/filipinos-speak-spanish-history http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2013/11/did-you-know-philippines-used-to-be-a-spanish-speaking-country-too/ In 2017, the Spanish language was ranked as the 2nd most spoken language of the world with 437 million speakers. Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/12868/the-worlds-most-spoken-languages/. I took a Spanish language course to augment my vocabulary. Philippines and Spain really have a lot of words in common. I feel though that a one-term course is not sufficient to learn the language. Yes, I can now read and understand written Spanish, but I still find it hard to speak or write it. I think I need more practice. Having lived in Europe for almost 12 years now, I have realized the edge of knowing a second language. It is an incredibly useful skill. When travelling, knowing a country’s language makes us feel more comfortable, allows us to understand their culture, and have a more authentic experience. I think it is fair to say that Spain and the Spanish culture is something that Filipinos can identify with. This is probably why Joey and I keep on going back to Spain. As of this writing, in a span of 2 years, we have gone to Spain three times already! This page will chronicle our travels to Spain. I can't wait for you to join us! |
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Dates
October 2018
About MeI am a software engineer based in Ireland; a qualified accountant who made a 360-degree career shift to Information Technology during the Y2K era. Joey (my husband) and I have big appetites for travelling, learning new cultures, and a passion for experiencing varied cuisines. Follow us as we chronicle life's little perks! |