Things to Remember

(These are some sentences that have been accumulating on a word document with the same title as this post. Excuse the poor grammar and any mistakes: I'm a fan of copy and paste.)

It’s okay to fail—to struggle w/ Spanish, to do something incorrectly.

I will do something stupid at least once a day. But, en realidad, no pasa nada. 

Si quiero mejorar mi español, tengo que practicar y pensar. Tengo que escuchar y preguntar. Y no tengo que hablar rápido, lo mejor es que yo hablo bueno. 

I am only at the beginning of this journey. Take it step by step. Poco a poco. 

The idea of living abroad most of us possess is ridiculously romanticized by the media. Mi vida no es un novel; cosas perfectas no están garantizados.  

This year is about independence. You can travel where you want. Be impulsive. You can travel solo. 

There’s no getting around the fact that I’m an extranjera. Might as well embrace it, so I can loosen up and laugh with my mistakes. 

Also, today, it occurred to me that Spanish literature isn't exactly out of my reach any more. The prospect of opening a door to a whole new part of the world of literature is unbelievably exciting. Of course, progress will be slow, but it's just one more reason to dive into this language.