After a year living in Bogota, I still remember my first day in this city: The plane landed, I got off, I waited for my suitcase and at the exit there was a sign that said my name and the only, really, the only word I knew in Spanish: "Welcome".

My mother tongue is Vietnamese, an Austro-Asian and tonal language, so you can imagine the relationship with Spanish, none, I think. However, I knew that word because I had seen it in several advertisements, so I thought that maybe I would recognize more words in Spanish.

My confidence when I arrived was very great, since I spoke English, but what a surprise, the percentage of people who speak English in Bogotá is very low. Therefore, I had to look for strategies to survive in the capital of Colombia (Bogotá), without dying in the attempt:

• Memorize the magic words: Hello and Thank you

• Offer a beautiful smile at all times

• Enroll in Spanish classes

It is acceptable that when a (non-native) tourist faces a foreign language they feel a lot of fear and anxiety, since they may feel self-conscious when coming into contact with the new culture. However, if you take the impulse and try to learn this nueva lengua You will recognize that you probably know some words, either because of the proximity between your mother tongue and the language of the place where you are or because there are famous words that can be recognized (even if it is the name of a brand of an international product). Therefore, there are two types of learners: real beginners, who only recognize some or no words, and false beginners, who are familiar with some features of the target language, but insist that they do not know it.

As a Spanish teacher I can assure you that strategies 1 and 2 of Antonio (Vietnamese, 27 years old, Spanish student) really work for your first day of Spanish classes, because they will allow you, as a non-Spanish-speaking foreigner, to create a bond with your teacher and lose the fear of communicating, which is an obstacle when learning. From there, you must let yourself be guided by your teacher to survive in a city where you do not speak the same language as the inhabitants.

The most important thing, before recognizing all the names of the verb tenses and the grammatical rules that may exist in Spanish, is that you have some basic and main needs that will force you to have contact with the natives. For example, go to eat at a restaurant, move around the city, ask for an address and buy a product in a store. For this reason, at the school where I work Spanish school Nueva Lengua, a special course has been created for these tourists who do not know any Spanish, where there is a daily class objective that consists of learning to defend themselves in situations that everyone faces daily, and in recognizing the structures, expressions and strategies that Allow to communicate briefly to meet needs or have a short conversation with another person.

At the moment, the following are some recommendations for those tourists who are for the first time in Bogota, and they don't "speak" Spanish:

• Always smile

Agree with Antonio, always smile. This is the first entry to approach a person and try to explain or ask for something and get to know them. Remember that a smile will allow you to have a friend who can probably be your interpreter.

• Think of the key expressions

There are some expressions that can save you in any of the situations mentioned above. For example, the questions to order something in a store: "Excuse me, how much does it cost?" and "can you give me ... please?" (applies only to Bogotá). Learning them by heart will allow you to meet some of your needs. Also, you can start by memorizing greetings, like the case of "hello, what else?" and “very good, thank you”, but among the most important are: “sorry, I don't speak Spanish” and “can you repeat it, please?

• Lose your fear with the natives

The people in Bogotá are very friendly. They may not speak English or other languages, but they are adept at interpreting what a gringo is saying and using their body language to tell you something. So don't be afraid to learn in a city like this because everyone will help you with communication.

If it is your first time in Bogotá or in a city where you do not speak the same language as the speakers, I invite you to follow the previous recommendations to take your first step in a world in which you will never stop learning and that will completely change your life and your way of seeing the world. These recommendations are to start your experience, since over time your teacher will support you to improve your level of Spanish and be better every day. Antonio's experience has been similar to that of many students I have met who today are living and working in Bogotá or traveling through Colombia, and who on their first day did not know any Spanish.

For more information you can write to info@nuevalengua.com and I can tell you more about other experiences and learning strategies.

Diana Lozano-Cotes

Spanish teacher- Spanish school Nueva Lengua