The very first foreign language I attempted to learn was Spanish. I was 7 years old, and I remember asking the school librarian for books on how to learn Spanish. I don't remember exactly why I decided to learn, just that I didn't like the idea that I couldn't communicate with everyone. Perhaps there was a child in school who didn't speak English well, I really don't remember. But I do remember looking at the books the librarian showed me. Somehow I picked up a little bit, but not much.
When I was in 5th grade, one of the lunch ladies had an accent. Being the curious sort, I asked her about it. She explained that she was from Germany, and that German was her first language. I asked her to teach me something, and she taught me the words for please (bitte) and thank you (danke). Every day after, I would thank her in German after going through the lunch line- she seemed to enjoy that as much as I did.
The school that I attended in 5th and 6th grade was the designated elementary school for Deaf children. One of the players on my softball team was Deaf, and in 6th grade we had two Deaf girls attend our class for a couple hours for "integration". Since I didn't know any sign language, I was completely unable to communicate with these kids. During recess one day, I met a younger girl who was Deaf. Honestly, I was somewhat of an outcast in school, and tended to be drawn to other kids like me. This girl, Theresa, was bullied by the older girls- the ones in my class. We became friends quickly. She taught me to sign, and I helped her with her lip reading. It was an interesting friendship, especially at first. She didn't speak or read lips, and I didn't sign. Theresa is probably the person who most influenced my decision to become a polyglot. Our friendship didn't last beyond that year, as I moved to the middle school and we were unable to communicate well enough to exchange addresses and arrange get-togethers outside of school.
The main reason I want to learn multiple languages is so that I can communicate with anyone. Being able to communicate is a form of freedom. I plan to travel, and would very much like to attend University in Europe. I'd love to get off the plane in any country, and have no trouble communicating with the people who live there. It is a big world, and by only speaking English, I am cut off from most of it.
Despite a few classes in Spanish, German, and ASL, I can speak and understand very little. It was kind of neat to hear my friend have a short conversation in Spanish with my neighbor last week, and be able to understand everything they said. But if my neighbor had asked me the same question she asked my friend, I would not have been able to answer. So obviously, my limited self-study and classes have not been entirely useful.
So on to the next step- the internet! I read a book last night called "The Language Hacking Guide" written by polyglot Benny Lewis. His blog,
Fluent in 3 Months, is amazing! (I'm not recommending anyone buy his book- it's a great book, but virtually everything in the book is on his blog. Since you can read the blog for free, there isn't much point in buying the book. If you want all of his info all in one, easy place, the book may be helpful.)
