Last May I decided to pack up my things and get out of the cold (May isn't really cold, but it isn't always warm either) and head to Costa Rica! I love the beach. I love wildlife. I love nature. So the move wasn't such a hard decision to make.
I was living happily in my little city, not far from an expat community, and studying Spanish on my own time but not really advancing. Then in September I took an intensive Spanish class with Instituto Estelar Bilingue in Liberia. My high school Spanish started to come back to me little by little and I learned so much so fast, I blew myself away. I took another 3 weeks of classes in October and advanced one level at a time, getting more and more confident with my new language each day. I began talking with people at the supermarket - actually talking!! I was making mistakes and that was okay because I was trying, and with each mistake I learned something new. I took a few more weeks of classes in November and I was starting to really feel confident in my Spanish skills.
Then I witnessed a car accident in December. After a day trip to Palo Verde, my car and a car of friends were heading back to Liberia when I watched their car drive straight into an oncoming bus. The driver died instantly. His wife and daughter walked away with minor injuries, but too much grief to even describe. My friend had been sitting behind the driver and was taken to the hospital with a leg that might not make it. I went with her in the ambulance, and that is when my Spanish was really put to the test.
As soon as we got to the emergency room they started pounding me with questions. What is her name? How old is she? Where is she from? What is her birthday? Do you know her passport number? What is the last thing she ate?
The questions kept coming and coming and I noticed that they weren't going to touch her until I answered every single question. I wanted to tell them to just start helping her and we can deal with the questions later, but it was obvious that wasn't going to happen.
I took a deep breath, asked the doctors to slow down when asking me their questions, and amazingly I was able to answer every single question they had for me. Eventually, they began working on her and miraculously her leg was saved (after many surgeries and eventually flying to the states for therapy).
That day, I started thinking about all the third conditionals (I am an English teacher haha) - the hypothetical situations in the past that you can't change, but you can think about. If I had been in the other car, that would have been my leg. If we hadn't woken up so early for the trip, maybe the accident wouldn't have happened. If I hadn't studied Spanish, I would have been completely useless to my friend in that emergency room.
That last hypothetical is what has changed my view on living abroad. So many people live abroad and don't make the effort to learn the new language. Sure at restaurants, hotels, resorts, spas, and the supermarket, the employees will probably speak in English. Even at the local pharmacy there could be an English speaker on the staff. But if you are in an accident and the nurses in your emergency room don't speak English - what will you do? How will you tell them your name, your age, your birthday, where you are from, your passport number, and the last thing you ate?
So whatever country you are in, make an effort to learn the language. I saw firsthand that it is important and it matters. Take a few classes, learn the basics, and improve your life abroad. One day, it could save your life.
Much thanks to Instituto Estelar Bilingue for the outstanding classes that prepared me for the horrible situation I was put in. You have given me a gift that will put me at ease for the rest of my time in Costa Rica <3