Learning a New Language

You cannot completely learn a new language in a classroom setting. You can learn how to introduce yourself, but when there isn't anyone who understands your introduction, it becomes difficult to retain. After I spent a month in Spain for an exchange program in high school, I have retained more than the average person who had taken it for all four years in high school. I had to use real life situations such as introducing myself to the locals, order from restaurants, and to the basics of asking my Spanish mother how her day went. It is hard to just learn a language in a classroom, to only come back to speaking it in that very same classroom. But being in the country where they speak that language, immerses you in the culture and forces you to use your acquired knowledge in real life situations. The best way to learn a new language is to learn the language in the country of origin.