A Military Effect Beyond My Time in Service
My military experience extends from being the first active-duty member in my family, the second one as a reservist, and culminating as a United States private government contractor. I’ve been to a good number of bases, such as Fort Buchanan in Puerto Rico, Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Fort Jackson in North Carolina, Fort Lee in Virginia, Fort Stewart in Georgia, Fort Irwing in California, Fort Hood, and Fort Bliss in Texas, oh wait, and Lackland Air Force Base which is like a golden city compared to any Army based I've mentioned before. I've also traveled overseas to South Korea, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Qatar. Serving in the United States Army allowed me to see the world through a peculiar set of eyes. While that engraved unforgettable memories, nothing beats my experience in San Antonio, Texas. The most indispensable turning point and fundamental element of my life today is based on the time I spent at the International English School at Lackland Air Force Base.
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and while our national languages are Spanish and English, you don't need to speak English. I mean, English is somewhat taught in schools, but those are like words and sentences that you tend to forget through the years for the lack of use. I must point out that my experience would mainly be applied to the population that, like me, was raised in Loiza. Loiza is one of the poorest towns on the island but has the highest criminality ratings, which means that our school system could've been better from the start. My barely there English level can be summarized with the sentences "Hi," "Goodbye," "Thank you," "Bathroom," Oh, and let's not forget about the exquisite "chu welcome."
My arrival was like any other I've done until that point; your unit's sergeant would pick you up from the airport, drive you to base, and yell at you to quickly get out and make a formation. Once you've been "smoked" for no reason, then you'll be called out so that you can take your duffle bags to your designated bed in the barracks. The next day, you're to be at formation at 6:00 am so that we can march to get some "chow" and then march to what would be my very first day at the International English school. At first, you don't really notice the ethnic diversity of your comrades around you simply because most of us are still processing the change of scenery, jetlag, and exhaustion.
Once we arrived at the school, the platoon was separated into smaller groups and sent to their respective classrooms. If you’re wondering whether I knew at any given time what I was supposed to do, wear, or go, please know that my then-little 18-year-old simply mimicked what everyone else did and followed along. The classes were from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm; the small dull-grey classrooms seemed like a void where the sunlight served as the flashlight, allowing you to glimpse the arduous journey you'd embark on to understand what you'd learn in class. Why, you ask? Well, the sweetest part of the deal was that you needed to pass two consecutive English tests, each lasting about 1 to 2 hours. But the main reason the classes were going to be a barefoot walk on a glass-shattered trail is that they were exclusively in English.
So that you can get a better picture, there was no dictionary easily accessible per se unless you were to go to the library/ computer lab, which was always packed. Everyone around you spoke about the same or worse English level; some of your comrades didn't even speak your native language. To make things worse, my then-extreme introverted self, now a self-made and occasionally socially adaptable character, could barely talk to those who spoke Spanish. To say that I was struggling is an understatement. I needed help, but people were a foreign concept to me from birth.
Fortunately for me, studying was still an enjoyable task. So, as soon I was done with my last formation of the day, I'd go to the library and utilize the dictionaries when no computers were available and vice versa. I'd finished all my homework as soon as possible and then attempted to read the words according to how Google Translator "told" me to pronounce them. Because I occasionally watched movies in my spare time, I noticed British movies were easier to understand. This was because the British characters would pronounce the words almost as if I were to read them in Spanish, with the same intonation and vowel sounds.
A few weeks into the classes, I had my eureka moment. I began familiarizing myself with the then-common American English by printing or writing down my favorite songs' lyrics and adding the translation under each line. This idea sweetened the learning process. I began to learn how to pronounce words while listening to my favorite singers, the spelling while memorizing the lyrics, and the meaning of them! After my first month, I took my first test and passed. This was awesome; I was static, but based on others who passed the first test, it was said that the second exam would be more challenging. So, I applied all the strategies that worked best for me, and when I took the second test, I passed.
It's based on what I learned while at the International English School that I was able to continue my path beyond my time in service. I grew as a person; I began speaking with those around me for the sake of real-time practice. I started feeling more confident about my ability to surpass such challenges and come on top. I began to appreciate the art of communication not only in written form but also in spoken form. It’s because of such an opportunity I’m who I am today. I'm now pursuing my bachelor's at Western Governors University and have started my blog about travel experiences and more. This experience taught me English and a great deal about myself, but it continues to open doors for me all around the globe.
