RED LODGE A new Spanish club in the small community of Red Lodge is offering a chance to make the challenge of learning the language easier while also broadening perspectiveswhether for travel, cultural understanding, or simply for the joy of learning something new.Since November, a group of five to ten adults gathers each Saturday in the basement of the Red Lodge Carnegie Library to learn and practice the Spanish language together. Each member has a different reason for doing so. Janet Gale joined to refresh her Spanish skills for her upcoming pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.I think it will come in handy. A lot of people speak English (in Spain), but I would still like to be able to ask a proper question, or at least understand the answer if I ask a question," said Gale. For one of the group's founders Dana Adams, the idea of starting a Spanish club was inspired by her time living in the south of Spain in the early 2000s and the impact the country's culture had on her. "I just fell in love with it, the food, the people," said Adams. "I never studied Spanish in school so it was new to me to hear the language and learn how to speak. Though Adams left Spain after seven years, her strong connection to the language and culture remained. Upon returning to the U.S., she found herself missing the conversational practice she had enjoyed in Spain. "I just didn't know many people who are speaking Spanish, so you tend to forget when you don't get to use the language," said Adams. Motivated by a desire to keep her Spanish skills alive and to help others in the same position, she decided to create a space where others could learn together. Back in 2016, she had a group of retirees who would meet together in her shop to practice for travel reasons, but after some time it went away. After recently speaking with a friend of hers who shared the same love for the language, they decided to start a place where others could come to sharpen their skills. "I always try to speak when I can, but it's challenging here," said Adams. (Learning on your own) not the same as talking to someone, and so that's the point of this group, and to just it doesn't matter if you have never spoken the language, never said a word, everyone is welcome. The ability to learn a new language becomes more difficult as we age. The critical period hypothesis suggests that the best window of time for language acquisition and the easiest way to achieve fluency is for those under the age of 17, after which it significantly decreases. The group's members have found that learning with others and using constant repetition has helped make the process more manageable. "For me, certainly the older I'm telling it is a little harder to remember things, so that's why we do a lot of repetition," said Adams. Learning a second language also has several cognitive benefits. According to Cambridge University, bilingualism can help improve areas of concentration, creativity, and memory. Some studies have even found that bilingual individuals tend to show slower cognitive decline and even a later onset of dementia symptoms. "It's just good for your brain," added Gale. For many, its not just about the cognitive language benefits, but about fostering cultural understanding. For Maria and Mike Pilati, a couple who attended their first class on Saturday, learning Spanish is about appreciating the world from a broader perspective. "(You) enjoy the experience more when you talk with the local people and learn about the country," said Mike. I hope to be able to just carry on a conversation in the short period. I know Im never going to be a Spanish linguist, but there's not a lot of time left in my short career.Maria's connection to Spanish is more personal. While her first language is Tagalog, she learned some Spanish from her grandmother at an early age."I didn't pay attention to it. I know a few things, but not (how to) make a sentence, said Maria. I want to put something in my brain that I did not know before. Learning about others through language gives us a way to better understand the world and its diverse cultures."I just think that's important because we're all part of the world," said Adams. I like to travel, so it's good to know about other places and people, and learning language is a good way to explore that.Adams has seen an increase in confidence and willingness to participate from several members over the months. Though fluency is still far for many, she emphasizes that any progress is good progress worth celebrating."I just tell them, 'If you're learning a new language, you just have to be brave to dare to speak it. Don't worry about making a mistake. We're all learning,' said Adams. In the small, tight-knit community of Red Lodge, the Spanish club has made the challenges of learning a language seem not so large. From beginners to seasoned experts, it is not just about mastering the language, but about building connections, overcoming fears, and embracing the joy of learning at any age. "I just try to be very welcoming to everyone and encourage them to just don't be shy. Just come in and just try it. You know, it's worth a try. It's fun, said Adams.