Translation of convince in Spanish

Next winter I'm going to Spain, where i hope to study Spanish. It's easy to visit Germany. Munich is a big city in Bayern...It's a nice city. Lot's of restaurants, nice buildings, a lake nearby and really friendly people.
I can understand a little Spanish with the base of Italian and heaps of words sound familiar. I will try to have conversations as much as i can. Just learning the vocabulary and the grammar isn't enough!
I think I have to switch back to English. It will take me two years until I write an entire letter in German and I suppose I do not have the time for it. Does that mean that I am not serious about learning?