I was reluctant to bring my DS with me to Spain in December. Last time, I ended up losing it on the way back into the states. It was a pretty devastating loss, wiping out a few hard months of Animal Crossing accomplishments. However, I promised my family that I’d have some practice under my belt before seeing them, so I really needed a last-minute save. I also bought a book to supplement my learning (the same price as the game) and I didn’t touch it once. The coach was cooler by far and the lessons were quick.

When I say lessons, I mean ENDLESS unlockables that teach you via mini-games in grammar, spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and more. As soon as I powered on the game I was prompted to take an aptitude test to measure my current level of Spanish. Unfortunately, my father never taught me as a child so my knowledge of Spanish is equivalent to that of a 2-year-old (even after 3 years of high school lectures). But much to my surprise, I tested all the way through the first 9 lessons. So in turn, instead of starting at the U.S.-Mexican border, my journey began in the heart of Mexico City (Lesson 10 - Family).

Shortly after, I made my way to the Panama Canal (Lesson 17 – Directions), through the northern half of South America and into Brazil (Lesson 38 – Body). However, as soon as I left Cuiabá, the lessons started to beef up. At this point, I was learning random vocabulary that we never covered in high school. When I finally arrived to Spain I decided to take my break at Lesson 44 (Fourth Grade) for a little real life supplemental learning. Aside from regular conversations, these are the phrases I used most often:

Hola. Me llama Marcella. – Hello. My name is Marcella.
¿Qué tal? – How are you?
Bien. – Good.
Mucho gusto. – Pleasure to meet you.
Yo tengo hambre. – I’m hungry.
Me gusta. – I like it.
Estoy cansada. – I’m tired.
Yo voy abajo para buscar sidra. – I am going downstairs to look for cider.
Mentiroso. – Liar.
Vamos. – Let’s go.
Vale. – Alright!* (*Very specific to Spain.)

Half of these I learned through the game and the other half through my family. So the lessons really worked! My trusty little DS Lite and My Spanish Coach helped me fill in the missing pieces just in time. Now I will continue my South American journey through Lesson 44 and into the unknown. Wish me luck!