Pump it Up!

Recently, I have noticed how much work goes into just talking in another language. Now, I know I have adressed this before (with my "Baby Talk" post) but frankly, once you get over the whole "I can't communicate" barrier, there is a sneaky second hurdle after that: exhaustion. From the start of my time here, I have been aware of how very exhausting living in a foreign language is. This should be obvious but speaking, learning and interacting in a language that is not natural takes about three times the effort - and that really gets to a person! Usually, this wouldn't pose much of a problem, I mean, people get tired right? Well, in a sense this is correct. You definitely shouldn't beat yourself up for feeling exhausted, but you should fight against it. Why? Personally, I have found that giving into a sense of exhaustion is detrimental to interaction. Chances are, if you allow yourself to skate through the day (or multiple days) in this state, you will not interact enough with your peers and this will cause you to stunt your friendships and language skills. Luckily for me, I realized the correlation between exhaustion indulgence and language stuntage (is that even a word?) early on. I distinctly remember riding the bus home after a long, difficult day only 3 weeks in and thinking "That really sucked. Everyone was nice, but I didn't talk at all. What's wrong with me?" And then I realized why: that morning I had worked my butt of in Phys. Ed. and, feeling that my exhaustion was justified and indulgable, I allowed myself to live as a mute zombie for the rest of the day. Well played, Bella, well played. Ever since that day I have made a concious effort to fight language-induced (and sometimes Phys. Ed. induced!) exhaustion. Here are some ways that I try to keep myself talking throughout the day:

• Pump Yourself Up: This is by far the easiest and most productive way to keep yourself talking: tell yourself you can! It sounds silly, but sometimes you really have to pump yourself up for a regular day of school, and if you don't, I guarentee you will have a low day. On the bus in the morning, listen to exciting, pop music to get yourself ready for a day of interaction. Think about the day ahead and find at least three events that you are looking forward to - this will help you keep going if your day gets off to a bad start. Sometimes (if you're worried you're going to have a bad day) it's even helpful to think about your study abroad experience - this is an amazing opportunity and you should be making the best of it by talking, having fun and making friends! Basically, just get excited for a day in the life!

• Start off on the Right Foot: You have to remember, every day is a clean slate. It doesn't matter if yesterday you got a bad grade, or had a falling out with a friend, or if you made an embarassing mistake. Today is new and you get to decide what to do with it. The first interactions of your day will decide the rest of it, so make it count! Don't let yourself be silent because you didn't sleep enough, walk into school and greet your friends with enthusiasm. Try to talk as much as possible during your first interactions (obviously don't monopolize to conversation, but don't be a dead log), this way you will quickly feel the flow of the new day.
• Participate: Little sentences go a long way. If you're stuck on the sidelines of a big group conversation (believe me, big groups are difficult. Since everyone else speaks the same language, they will be talking with eachother - fast! - and they might forget about you) don't stress yourself out by trying to concoct perfect 5 sentence-long statements. One sentence contributions will be easier to spit out and will quickly integrate you into the conversation. As always, jokes are best! But considering humor is tricky in foreign languages, don't sweat it if you're unable to tickle their funny-bones.

So there you have it! Those are a few things that I do (nearly every day) to keep myself peppy and interactive throughout the school day. It's true that everyone is bound to have bad days, but if you work to make every day a good day, the ratio of good:bad will be staggeringly different.