Yes, there isn’t just one recipe to learn Spanish, but John Adams - one of Spanish55 students in Colorado - found his. In fact, he saw two: Creating opportunities for him to practice his Spanish while cultivating friendships and deep connections with native speakers.

We sat down with John to talk about his journey as one of our most committed students (with more than 300 lessons taken under his belt!), his growing working relationship with his Spanish55 Coach, Coach Jacob, the ups, downs, and what keeps him motivated and how learning Spanish has enriched his life.

On what made him decide to learn Spanish

I do repair work, so that makes me work in different places. It could be a commercial kitchen; you name it. Wherever there’s equipment that needs fixing, you’ll find me there. And in a lot of them, some people speak Spanish. As a person, I’m a talker. If you give me a chance, I’ll talk your ear off. So it bothered me not to be able to speak with the people in these different places who couldn’t speak English, trying to point out the problem or see them trying to help me the best they could.

So I started with those apps to help me get started, so I could understand (and communicate!) with these amicable and very warm people I’ve met through my job. But you can always get so far with that.

How his journey with Spanish55 started

I realized that if you don’t have a teacher or someone to structure your learning experience, you don’t have answers to your questions. The apps can’t anticipate every eventuality or question that you may have at some point or another. I learned about Spanish55 from a YouTube channel; I can’t remember which one, but watch them!

After looking through the website, I set up my consultation (you know, to get an idea of what I was getting into), and here comes this kid (Coach Jacob) to guide me through this whole thing and who helped me find the answers that I was looking for.

On his relationship with Coach Jacob

Isidro is awesome. I call Coach Jacob Isidro because that’s his father’s name, and I love family names. And one of the things I love about our time together is that, no matter the context (whether you’re in an office building or with native Spanish speakers shooting the breeze) or what conversation you’re having, you see grammar rules being applied.

Yes, even when we were watching clips from comedian Franco Escamilla (to help me get a firmer grasp on slang and Mexican culture), Isidro was pointing out things like “el subjuntivo” (aka the subjunctive mood). We found a balance between the structure that a class or a Coach can provide with my own interests, and that’s been helping me create stronger roots with the language.

On the ups and downs of his Spanish learning journey

I think I’m my very worst critic. I remember getting frustrated when talking to Isidro and saying things like, “we’ve been working on this for how many hours (or weeks, or months), and I can barely understand, let alone speak, what you’re trying to teach me.” But like the great teacher that he is, Isidro always came back with the right words of encouragement. Something that has stayed with me is when he said: “Try and remember that you’ve come a long way from where you started”. So in those moments of frustration, it was best to take a step back and try to absorb the things we discussed in that lesson, and after a day or two, they started to make sense.

On embracing a different culture and it embracing him back

As I said, I’m a talker, and one of the things that made me want to learn Spanish was seeking new experiences that I wouldn’t be able to live without the language. I started a great relationship with neighbors who are from Mexican backgrounds. I had the chance to travel with them to Chihuahua and stay at their family’s home. That, for me, was one of the best things to take from learning a new language: it opened my eyes to new and different perspectives and ways of life. It was incredible to immerse myself and have them welcome me into their lives and home. Being able to have conversations or them helping me with some of the words I fumbled with was fantastic.

The sense of community and the friendships I’ve been able to build are some things I’m most grateful for throughout my journey.

On what he has to say to other people wanting to learn Spanish as a second language

I've been Isidro’s and Spanish55’s student for over two years now, and I think those two or three years will go by anyhow. And what better way to spend that time than doing something that adds value to your life? The number of experiences I now get to have - from the friendships I’ve cultivated to learning new skills by watching and listening to Spanish content (I recently learned how to do upholstery, for example). It’s about seeking out those opportunities. That’s how I’ve measured my success. There’s a long way to go, but I have a fantastic Coach and team behind me; and a great support system at home. Learning Spanish (or any language, for that matter) is something that will enrich your life in so many ways.