Spanish as a Second Language

I agreed with the Prime Minister that we should have Spanish as a second language. The Spanish speaking countries are next door to us. I did Spanish in high school but didn't go any further in the subject. I remembered being in Bogota, Colombia and really regretted not knowing Spanish. I believe that it is the Latinos who are learning English rather than us learning Spanish. There were eight of us on the course including the lecturer who knew no Spanish. Three of them knew no English while the other three knew English. I knew very little Spanish. But I wonder how can one become proficient at a language unless you are constantly using it. There were two managers on the course. One was a Dutchman who spoke both Spanish and English proficiently.The other was an Englishman who seemed right at home with Spanish.