One of the hardest things to do is to practice speaking. I can read and listen to Spanish in the comfort and the “Safety” of my own home. I can take Spanish at whatever speed I want, have “redo’s” and really never be uncomfortable. But if you’re going to improve, and you’re going to have a practical use of the language you have to get out and practice, and do more than in the classroom. That’s where the “the rubber meets the road”, or as Captain Ron said, “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen out there.”
I have a number of places I like to practice, but one of my favorites is restaurants. I prefer small, mom and pop, type of restaurants. If you have a couple you can go to regular you can rapidly improve your Spanish listening and speaking. A couple of examples here in Topeka are El Rey and El Taquito Express. Small places mainly for takeout, but with a couple of tables.
El Rey has only four tables, but excellent food and today the tacos are only 99¢!
And El Tquito Express has only one table and a small counter, but very friendly and more than willing to humor me with my Spanish.
In a smaller town like Topeka you probably won’t find many restaurants that specialize foods other than Mexico. But in Kansas City you have several different opportunities to practice your Spanish and learn about other Spanish Speaking countries.
I find it helpful to tip a litle more and thank them for being “mi maestra/o” (teacher). I’ve developed friendships, and trust me, they all understand the difficulty of learning a second language. You might even get to help them with their English.
Things to talk about? Ask about their names, where are they from (don’t settle just for the name of the country, “¿que parte?”, which area, “¿que ciudad?”, what city? Ask about family, children, how long they’ve been in the US, why on earth do they live in Topeka? Things like that. Then the next time you’re in the restaurant greet by name and reintroduce yourself.
In this manner you’ll become a little more comfortable with speaking Spanish and have some confidence that you can carry on a conversation. After you’ve eaten and left, review the conversation, what did you have a problem with, how could you have said something better, what words did you need that you didn’t have, all questions to make the next conversaton smoother.
¡Buen Suerte!