Torian Hill

Tell me a little bit about your experience studying abroad?
Before I went to Argentina, I was a little skeptical because I didn’t know any Spanish. Going into the trip, I thought I knew enough, because I had had two latina girlfriends when I was in university, and I had a few other Spanish speaking friends. I thought I knew a good amount of words to the point that I would be ok in a completely immersive environment. However, I learned in the first year that I knew nothing. I remember when I got there, I was nervous about how much I was going to be able to learn and if I was even going to be able to keep up because the natives spoke really fast and there were some other students there that already took Spanish classes and were able to speak more than me. What I can say about the experience is that it just takes patience. It really just comes down to how bad you really want it. I had to force English to not be a part of my life. Everything that I did was in Spanish, from the music that I listened to, to the shows that I watched. This helped me acquire Spanish so much faster. Once you get over the peak of not being able to hold a cohesive conversation and you start being able to talk to people in Spanish, it makes everything go so much faster and everything is so much better.

What are some challenges that you faced while learning Spanish?
The biggest challenge for me was the discipline to not really submit to using any English. It was a challenge because we had a few natives there that were able to speak English, and then obviously the other ACA students who you spend the most time with are speaking English the majority of the time. It was especially hard during the summer break, when most of the natives left campus and went home. It was hard to keep using the Spanish when it was basically only you and the other ACA students and everyone wanted to use English with you. Even when the natives came back to campus, a lot of them wanted to practice English. So, once again the most challenging part is discipline in all aspects. Before I was able to really converse, it was hard having to learn to listen and not be able to talk. But after about three months I was able to formulate some sentences. It was also hard being able to accept that you are speaking, but you most likely are making mistakes. I was constantly having my grammar fixed. A language isn’t too hard to learn, as long as you are just consistent.

Would you recommend a study abroad experience?
Yes, definitely. Once you’re out there, you have the rest of the world to experience. While I was there in Argentina, I traveled to Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil – 6 different countries. In addition, it wasn’t that expensive at all. You also start to travel a lot more when you get back. Once you get a taste of that lifestyle, you don’t really want to stop and I feel like traveling really increases the quality of life a lot. In addition, through studying abroad you gain invaluable exposure. You have a lot of students from different backgrounds and you learn a lot of things that you would never really learn in the classroom ranging from the food that they eat to the different ways that they talk. This is something that you would never be able to get here in the States.

Can you tell us about your path to becoming a Spanish teacher?
So, I acquired two degrees at Andrews. The first one was a BS in Psychology and the second was a BA in Spanish. It was really a blessing actually how this job opportunity came about. When I came back to Bermuda, I really wanted to get a job. I wanted a job where I could make decent money but also have time to spend with my family. I heard about an opening to become a student-teacher, but I didn’t have all of the qualifications. Regardless, I applied for the position, and I actually ended up talking to them. They really liked that I had two degrees and background going to a different country. It also helped that I had some internships and a lot of leadership experience from my time at Andrews. I ended up getting the job as a Spanish teacher, and although I didn’t land a job directly in the field of psychology, when you deal with kids, you have a lot of different hats so I did end up using a lot of what I learned with my psychology degree in the end. I really enjoy the fact that I am there for these kids and that I’m actually able to help them. I don’t just teach them, but I also share my experiences with them. I’m using all the things I learned in both of my degrees. When I started at Andrews, I would never have thought I would have the job that I have now, but it’s really a blessing. Especially since even during these COVID times, they still need teachers.

How is life after Andrews?
When you go away to adulthood, there are a lot of things that you can be ready for and then things that you can’t be ready for. That’s just how it is. In terms of the degree that I acquired, I would say that I was academically prepared. With some degrees, you learn a whole lot of stuff and then never really use it. I don’t think that’s relevant to any of the degrees that I acquired. We have a fantastic psychology degree at Andrews. Being able to learn and actually apply the concepts that I was taught helped me a lot in my career. In addition the Spanish degree is literally the reason why I have this job. Andrews is great in the sense that it’s so diverse because it gave me a lot of cultural exposure before traveling and made me more of a personable person. I owe a lot to the school and it also really helped that I was engaged during my time there, from being an ambassador, to being captain of the football team, to being involved with UNICEF and many other activities that I spread out through my years at Andrews.