Moving from Colombia to Canada—Learning English as a Spanish Speaker

By: Camila

Hi everyone! My name is Camila Benavides, and I am from Colombia. I arrived in Canada almost two years ago, and if I look back and see Camila from the past, I know she wouldn’t have expected what is about to come! All the places I’ve been, the experiences I gained, and surprisingly, the number of people that speak my native language!

“I love my country, and I could not be happier and prouder of being Latina, especially being from Colombia.” - Camila Benavides

Although I am from Colombia, I must be honest, I was never a patriotic person. At least, not until I came to Canada and that sense of home filled me. In the first months here, I had a lot of mixed emotions. Not only was it a change in my lifestyle and my routine, and getting used to it took time and effort, but I didn’t realize how much you can miss something as simple as having the sunlight every day of the year or hearing the birds singing through the window of your bedroom every morning. Feeling the warmth in every greeting with your neighbours and even walking a few minutes down the street to the grocery store were things I missed. I concluded that besides missing the obvious things like family and friends, I started missing the things I took for granted, like the place where I grew up, the music I used to listen to, the carnivals I never attended, the nature that surrounds the cities, the amazing street food, and the historical monuments that tie back to my origins. If I had to describe Colombia with a word, I would describe it as love. If you are from Colombia and you are reading this, I’m sure you will feel connected, but if you’re not, I deeply encourage you to go and explore all the good things that my country has to offer, especially all the happiness and love it spreads.

When it comes to English, I have studied the language since I was a child. Back home, I attended schools where English was a requirement, so I learned it at an early age. However, I could not practice it efficiently because I could only speak English at school, and since in Colombia English is not considered a second language, there are not a lot of people to talk to in English to practice. When I arrived in Canada, I was scared because even though I knew the grammar and the vocabulary, it was my first experience facing native English speakers. It took time for me to adapt, but eventually, I met new people and started a new routine with this new language, so it didn’t feel like a drastic change. Every day, I learned something new, new words, vocabulary, and I heard different accents. Maybe you’ve experienced this too, where you start thinking in the language because it’s easier than translating everything you hear or read to your native language. So if you are new and you are anxious about the change, the best advice I can give you today is not to feel afraid, you are starting and learning, it is normal if you do not remember a word or if you make a grammatical error. It is fine, and the best way to improve is by practicing, by making errors and learning from them.

The first time I heard someone speaking Spanish was in my first week of classes. I was looking for my classroom across the athletics center and I started hearing some words that I knew, but I was not sure if they were in the language I thought. When I got closer I recognized them instantly—that was definitely Spanish—so I just stopped for a second and looked at the people who were talking. I didn’t say anything to them, but I just smiled, and for a second it felt like home. Eventually, when I started to meet Latino people and make my group of friends, I realized that just the fact that we spoke the same language created a stronger bond between us. Now, every time that I’m speaking in Spanish and see someone looking at me the same way I looked at the people at that time, I do not think twice, and I just talk to them in Spanish. Looking at their faces and their smiles realizing that they are not alone, is something that you cannot compare.

Curious about international student experiences at Sheridan?

Check out these blogs from other international students and read all about their unique journeys!