20 ways to practice Spanish outside of a classroom

Published July 6, 2023

Prior to my move to Mexico City, I spent a decade living in Miami, Florida, where it’s often said that 60% of residents speak only Spanish at home.

Growing up in New Jersey, my school began offering Spanish classes when I turned 12, which I immediately signed up for. I continued studying Spanish through college and spent six months living in Barcelona after graduation. I’ve worked in Cuba, Spain and other Latin American countries.

Why am I telling you this?

Because here I am, nine months into my new Mexican life, still speaking mostly English. So much of my day is in English: my writing, my phone conversations with family, my chats with friends — including the ones from Mexico!

A few weeks ago I got fed up. This was not the plan. I want to master this beautiful language once and for all.

And because I haven’t married the Mexican man of my dreams — yet — I decided to start incorporating Spanish into almost everything I do.

In just a few weeks, I’ve noticed a vast improvement. I’ll tell you how I did it.

First things first: you must commit — like you’d commit to anything else: getting healthy, losing weight, improving your relationship, saving a bunch of money so you can finally move to Mexico. It’s crucial, and it’s absolutely doable.

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