My suitcase has been my best travel companion over the past five years. If it could talk, it would have hundreds of stories to tell.
It all started with the promise my dad made a very long time that my brother and I would not have to experience the anxiety that he felt the first time he traveled abroad. Our life stories have ended up being very different from his. We have had more opportunities and the personalities to seize them. Just this year, my suitcase has traveled more miles with me than in the last five years put together.
Yesterday, I packed my suitcase to fly again. This time, it took me a lot longer. I waited until practically the last minute to do it and I couldn’t think of what to take with me. I am about to spend two months studying and living French.
In school, I was never good at languages, though I really enjoyed Spanish classes. What I really liked was sports. In fact, I would have loved to be a professional basketball player, but life knew better and led me to become a language interpreter. It was spot on. I have spent my professional career working hard, and thanks to that and the support I have received, I am happy with what I have accomplished so far. But it is time for the next challenge, so I am on my way to France.
I can never find the right words to explain to non-interpreters all the work that goes into truly knowing a language. It is not just about grammar and vocabulary. It is about understanding the mindset of the people who speak that language and their culture and lifestyle. Thus, the best way to really know a language is to experience it. So, my husband and I are heading off. To get here, we had to work countless hours, make difficult decisions and sacrifices, and do a lot of research and planning.
In the end, I was able to fit everything into my suitcase that I think I need to spend two months in the French winter. What for? To get fully immersed in the French world in order to really understand the language and, one day, interpret from French into Spanish.
