Languages
So, I started my Spanish class this morning. I´ve already done 1.5 hours of homework, and I still have two handouts left to complete. I´d forgotten the joys of homework... Really though, class was good and while I can´t always put in to words the linguistic reason why a particular verb form should be used, I just understand why. Not so helpful in answering the instructor´s ¨Por Che¨ question, but there you go.
Had to take a break from the homework, and looking up nearly every word in my dictionary, so here I am, blogging away.
A guy from the residence and I made dinner last night (ok, so he did the bulk of the cooking, but I *do* know how to cook). He´s Dutch, and speaks perfect English, including idioms and slang, with a British accent. We were joking around about the ¨whazzzzzup¨ commercials and laughing a great deal. A couple others ended up eating with us, and it was a quite nice dinner. A few of us are talking about flying up to Puerto Iguazu in a couple weekends. There is an awesomely (in the true sense of the word awesome) magnificent grouping of enormous waterfalls there. The falls are on the border between Brazil and Argentina. It will be a good trip and I´m looking forward to it.
To respond to another comment by Raul, who I´m beginning to feel is the penpal I never had as a kid ;), I think it´s draining to listen to foreign languages one is trying to learn just because most people don´t really concentrate that closely most of the time. Learning or listening to a language is not something you can do passively. I don´t find that it´s particularly physically draining, just mentally draining. Sometimes, I don´t even have the energy to read before going to sleep. I haven´t been a student in about six years. However, it sometimes feels different periods that I spent at Amazon -- very busy and mentally challenging. Amazon was very good and stimulating, as is learning any language. It´s taking a great deal of mental energy to understand Spanish (not just in the class), and it is so very much worth it.
You, my dear reader, can look forward to Spanish in my blog. Maybe one day soon I will be able to write a post entirely in Spanish, and you will be rushing to freetranslation.com so that you can read it.
Siesta, or walk through the city, or go back and finish my homework? These are the decisions that rule my life now.
Had to take a break from the homework, and looking up nearly every word in my dictionary, so here I am, blogging away.
A guy from the residence and I made dinner last night (ok, so he did the bulk of the cooking, but I *do* know how to cook). He´s Dutch, and speaks perfect English, including idioms and slang, with a British accent. We were joking around about the ¨whazzzzzup¨ commercials and laughing a great deal. A couple others ended up eating with us, and it was a quite nice dinner. A few of us are talking about flying up to Puerto Iguazu in a couple weekends. There is an awesomely (in the true sense of the word awesome) magnificent grouping of enormous waterfalls there. The falls are on the border between Brazil and Argentina. It will be a good trip and I´m looking forward to it.
To respond to another comment by Raul, who I´m beginning to feel is the penpal I never had as a kid ;), I think it´s draining to listen to foreign languages one is trying to learn just because most people don´t really concentrate that closely most of the time. Learning or listening to a language is not something you can do passively. I don´t find that it´s particularly physically draining, just mentally draining. Sometimes, I don´t even have the energy to read before going to sleep. I haven´t been a student in about six years. However, it sometimes feels different periods that I spent at Amazon -- very busy and mentally challenging. Amazon was very good and stimulating, as is learning any language. It´s taking a great deal of mental energy to understand Spanish (not just in the class), and it is so very much worth it.
You, my dear reader, can look forward to Spanish in my blog. Maybe one day soon I will be able to write a post entirely in Spanish, and you will be rushing to freetranslation.com so that you can read it.
Siesta, or walk through the city, or go back and finish my homework? These are the decisions that rule my life now.
posted by Shana @ 11:49 AM
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