So I finally had the guts to go ahead and make public my YouTube channel. My hopes are to better my Spanish speaking abilities, inspire others to improve their own spoken abilities in foreign languages, and to go forward in learning other languages, as deep down I have always wanted to speak more than just Spanish and English.
I'm hoping to find more people interested in reading my blog here and hopefully interested in offering their own stories and advice here, or on Facebook, or wherever we can find a forum to express ourselves.
I've been nervous abut posting videos of myself for some time. It's quite a bit scarier than posting a blog. Suddenly my face is out there for everyone to see and all my mistakes are a lot more obvious. I still have to record and post my first official video, as what I posted today was only an introduction. I would like to post weekly and focus on topics that pertain to how language learning benefits us. I'm not so interested in learning grammar or focusing on vocabulary, there are plenty of sites for that. Here, I want to just talk about how languages effect us all and hopefully I can build a following based on that premise. My videos, at least right now, are very basic as I really don't know much about editing, but hopefully that too ill improve over time.
I'd love to hear your thoughts here on how I can best offer an entertaining channel while at the same time improving my own speaking ability. (Of course I will be speaking in both English and Spanish. I want everyone to be able to follow along.)
OK, that's it here for now, but hopefully the comments will start rolling in soon. Hasta luego!
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Monday, April 17, 2017
Saturday, May 28, 2016
What Voice Do We Listen To?
One of the biggest boosts in confidence I have had when it comes to speaking Spanish is social media. Ever since I started dedicating my time to improving my Spanish, I have tried to use social media as a way to boost my confidence and give me the kick I needed to keep going when the going got tough. I have discovered websites, such as The Mixxer that offer free search engines to reach out to other language learners and in turn we are able to use tools such as Skype to set up intercambios where we can take turns practicing our second or even third languages.
I have found Facebook groups who love to discuss learning Spanish, and countless YouTube videos that offer lessons and advice on how to improve your language skills. All in all, I have found that reaching out to others is a great way to find the inspiration, motivation, and confidence to push on when I find myself in a rut. Unfortunately, there are also negative aspects of social media. There are those who find pleasure in bringing others down. Instead of inspiring, they discourage, ridicule, and belittle those that are seeking positive reinforcement. Fortunately for me, I have not come across all that many of these individuals, although I have heard plenty of stories from others. I do my best to ignore those who thrive on negative energy, and when I do stumble across someone who wants to bring me down, I find ways to ignore and avoid that person.
All that being said, there is one voice I have found that is nearly impossible to ignore. Despite my very best efforts, there seems to always be a way for this one voice to get to me. That voice is the voice inside my head, and I have discovered recently that I am not the only one affected by my own worst thoughts. My point in mentioning social media before introducing this topic was that it was on Facebook that I discovered just how overpowering ones inner voice can be, even when surrounded by positive energy. While I have found encouragement from others to be a great motivator, sometimes all the encouragement in the world won't help if you allow your inner thoughts to bring you down. I have seen posts from individuals who have nothing but negative things to say about themselves. Despite all the encouragement the other members of the group try to offer, there seems to be no hope in changing their negative self outlook. It bothers me greatly to see this, as the only person standing in their way from excelling is themselves. I have learned from my own experience, we are our own worst critic. If we allow ourselves to accept our own criticisms, we will never be able to advance. Yes, it takes confidence to go out there and speak in a foreign language, but we have to overcome our own insecurities, our own self doubt, and take a very scary leap forward. Yes, it's frightening, but we can all do it. This was something I had to teach myself, but I also owe a lot of thanks to those who encouraged me along the way.
So, in the end, don't be afraid to reach out to those on social media for encouragement, but more importantly, don't be afraid to be your own positive motivator. Don't let your inner voice scare you. Challenge yourself and be positive. Negative thoughts will get you nowhere. Who's with me?
I have found Facebook groups who love to discuss learning Spanish, and countless YouTube videos that offer lessons and advice on how to improve your language skills. All in all, I have found that reaching out to others is a great way to find the inspiration, motivation, and confidence to push on when I find myself in a rut. Unfortunately, there are also negative aspects of social media. There are those who find pleasure in bringing others down. Instead of inspiring, they discourage, ridicule, and belittle those that are seeking positive reinforcement. Fortunately for me, I have not come across all that many of these individuals, although I have heard plenty of stories from others. I do my best to ignore those who thrive on negative energy, and when I do stumble across someone who wants to bring me down, I find ways to ignore and avoid that person.
All that being said, there is one voice I have found that is nearly impossible to ignore. Despite my very best efforts, there seems to always be a way for this one voice to get to me. That voice is the voice inside my head, and I have discovered recently that I am not the only one affected by my own worst thoughts. My point in mentioning social media before introducing this topic was that it was on Facebook that I discovered just how overpowering ones inner voice can be, even when surrounded by positive energy. While I have found encouragement from others to be a great motivator, sometimes all the encouragement in the world won't help if you allow your inner thoughts to bring you down. I have seen posts from individuals who have nothing but negative things to say about themselves. Despite all the encouragement the other members of the group try to offer, there seems to be no hope in changing their negative self outlook. It bothers me greatly to see this, as the only person standing in their way from excelling is themselves. I have learned from my own experience, we are our own worst critic. If we allow ourselves to accept our own criticisms, we will never be able to advance. Yes, it takes confidence to go out there and speak in a foreign language, but we have to overcome our own insecurities, our own self doubt, and take a very scary leap forward. Yes, it's frightening, but we can all do it. This was something I had to teach myself, but I also owe a lot of thanks to those who encouraged me along the way.
So, in the end, don't be afraid to reach out to those on social media for encouragement, but more importantly, don't be afraid to be your own positive motivator. Don't let your inner voice scare you. Challenge yourself and be positive. Negative thoughts will get you nowhere. Who's with me?
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Back For More
It's been one year since my last entry here, and while I haven't exactly had heavy traffic, I thought I would get back to writing just a bit in the hopes of inspiring myself and others to live their lives more adventurously while learning a new language. If you've read any of my previous entries here, my goal with this blog has always been to push myself and others to have confidence in speaking a foreign language and to use that language to better their lives. My last entry here was written in Madrid, Spain, just a few days before I returned to the United States after spending the month of May in an apartment in the Lavapies neighborhood of Madrid. The year that followed was not at all what I expected it to be, and here I am today, once again writing from Madrid, yes, Madrid, about how learning a second language has changed my life.
When I came back to the United States, initially I was thrilled to be home, but I quickly found myself wanting to return to Spain. The experience had opened my eyes to new things and my life in the United States would never be the same, nor could it compare to a life in Spain. I met a very special woman while I was in Spain the first time, and for the next year, we stayed in contact, talking to each other each and every day, and in October, she came to spend a week with me in the United States. After that week, we made plans for me to come back to Spain, this time permanently, as we were going to live together. I am now proud to say we are to be married (a rather arduous task to take on in Spain for an American such as myself) and we are expecting our first child in November. All of this because I took the risk of traveling to Spain all by myself as a way of discovering who I was and who I could be. Had I never decided to speak Spanish, who knows where I would be today.
I'm not suggesting learning a second language is going to find you the love of your life, but I certainly never would have met my wife if I did not speak Spanish. Speaking Spanish has opened doors for me, not only at home, but worldwide. I can speak confidently to people from 21 different countries that I would not have been able to if I did not speak Spanish. I have no plans on traveling the world, at least not right now, but speaking two languages has made my life infinitely more exciting. After spending just one month in Spain, I was able to say good-bye to the parts of my life I no longer wanted and I was able to become the person I feel I had always been meant to be.
We may move back to the United States in the coming years, we may not, but what's important is that I have found a life here that is certainly more interesting than the one I left behind. I'd love to hear the stories of those who have done similar things, of those who have used Spanish, or any other language for that matter, to change their lives for the better. I know I haven't been around here much, but I plan on spending some more time here from now on. I hope to hear from you.
Check out my Google + community here.
When I came back to the United States, initially I was thrilled to be home, but I quickly found myself wanting to return to Spain. The experience had opened my eyes to new things and my life in the United States would never be the same, nor could it compare to a life in Spain. I met a very special woman while I was in Spain the first time, and for the next year, we stayed in contact, talking to each other each and every day, and in October, she came to spend a week with me in the United States. After that week, we made plans for me to come back to Spain, this time permanently, as we were going to live together. I am now proud to say we are to be married (a rather arduous task to take on in Spain for an American such as myself) and we are expecting our first child in November. All of this because I took the risk of traveling to Spain all by myself as a way of discovering who I was and who I could be. Had I never decided to speak Spanish, who knows where I would be today.
I'm not suggesting learning a second language is going to find you the love of your life, but I certainly never would have met my wife if I did not speak Spanish. Speaking Spanish has opened doors for me, not only at home, but worldwide. I can speak confidently to people from 21 different countries that I would not have been able to if I did not speak Spanish. I have no plans on traveling the world, at least not right now, but speaking two languages has made my life infinitely more exciting. After spending just one month in Spain, I was able to say good-bye to the parts of my life I no longer wanted and I was able to become the person I feel I had always been meant to be.
We may move back to the United States in the coming years, we may not, but what's important is that I have found a life here that is certainly more interesting than the one I left behind. I'd love to hear the stories of those who have done similar things, of those who have used Spanish, or any other language for that matter, to change their lives for the better. I know I haven't been around here much, but I plan on spending some more time here from now on. I hope to hear from you.
Check out my Google + community here.
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
The Great Classroom Debate
Over and over again, I read about students who are immensely frustrated with the language learning classes in their schools. Why is it that classrooms seem to deaden the desire to learn among young people? Schools are meant to be the places we send our children to learn and grow into adults but often I find the reviews to be abysmal. Students are uninspired by the curriculum and become reticent, especially when it comes to learning a foreign language, leading to failure to learn more than some basic vocabulary and the very simplest ways to communicate. I find it hard to blame the students in this case, as I too as a student found my Spanish classes to be either boring or at times overwhelming with the various grammatical topics we covered. I was a good student, however if I was not inspired to learn, it was very easy to shut myself off and stubbornly refuse to learn. I couldn't find the right place for accent marks or often I conjugated the verbs incorrectly, making me feel foolish which pushed me further down into my shell. The more confused I became, the more I shut myself off from learning. So how is it that now, fifteen years later I am not only enamored with the language, but I find it easy to learn? It all has to do with inspiration, motivation, and the desire to learn.
I love learning, but that does not mean I loved my time in school. As I said, often school can be boring, methodical, and entirely uninspiring. My whole attitude towards learning Spanish changed when I found myself surrounded by native Spanish speakers who I desperately wanted or needed to communicate with. I learned how to talk, which goes well beyond memorizing vocabulary lists or learning how to conjugate verbs. Yes, those things are critical when it comes to learning a language, even in your own native tongue, but there has to be more to it than that if you want a student to retain the information. When I started learning why we said things in Spanish the way we did, it all started to click. When I heard native speakers talking, I started to understand where to place the accents.
Tell me something and I'll forget it. Show me something and I'll understand it. Practice it with me, and I'll be able to do it. Classrooms simply do not offer enough practical usage of the language to teach a student how to speak effectively with another person. Sure, after a few months, anyone can ask the basic survival questions we all learn when first taking on a new language, but how many students can actually talk to another person in that language? I'm not suggesting we can teach complete fluency in a matter of four or five school years, but if we start emphasizing communicating over rote memorization, I think we'll start to see a tremendous change, not only in the success rates of the students, but in the overall satisfaction the students get out of gaining a skill such as speaking a second language. Being able to conjugate verbs is boring, but being able to use a skill in my everyday life is fun, and when it becomes fun, it is not a chore to learn. Clearly not every student is going to fall in love with foreign languages, as I was never one to fall in love with, say, chemistry. We can, however, make learning more fun and find ways to encourage those who will fall in love with language learning. I wish I could find a way to work with public schools to improve foreign language classes. Should anyone have any suggestions, send them my way!
I love learning, but that does not mean I loved my time in school. As I said, often school can be boring, methodical, and entirely uninspiring. My whole attitude towards learning Spanish changed when I found myself surrounded by native Spanish speakers who I desperately wanted or needed to communicate with. I learned how to talk, which goes well beyond memorizing vocabulary lists or learning how to conjugate verbs. Yes, those things are critical when it comes to learning a language, even in your own native tongue, but there has to be more to it than that if you want a student to retain the information. When I started learning why we said things in Spanish the way we did, it all started to click. When I heard native speakers talking, I started to understand where to place the accents.
Tell me something and I'll forget it. Show me something and I'll understand it. Practice it with me, and I'll be able to do it. Classrooms simply do not offer enough practical usage of the language to teach a student how to speak effectively with another person. Sure, after a few months, anyone can ask the basic survival questions we all learn when first taking on a new language, but how many students can actually talk to another person in that language? I'm not suggesting we can teach complete fluency in a matter of four or five school years, but if we start emphasizing communicating over rote memorization, I think we'll start to see a tremendous change, not only in the success rates of the students, but in the overall satisfaction the students get out of gaining a skill such as speaking a second language. Being able to conjugate verbs is boring, but being able to use a skill in my everyday life is fun, and when it becomes fun, it is not a chore to learn. Clearly not every student is going to fall in love with foreign languages, as I was never one to fall in love with, say, chemistry. We can, however, make learning more fun and find ways to encourage those who will fall in love with language learning. I wish I could find a way to work with public schools to improve foreign language classes. Should anyone have any suggestions, send them my way!
Friday, August 8, 2014
Buying The Ticket
I have officially purchased all of the major items I need in order to take my trip to Spain. I have my passport, I rented a room, and just this week, I bought my ticket. Now I just have to wait the eight months before I can fly out.
Just like learning Spanish, planning for this trip was a step by step process, and I think without the experience I have had with learning Spanish, I may have never made it this far. I think we all have dreams and fantasies of the life experiences we want to have, but few of us manage to fulfill all of these dreams simply because we lack planning. Now, to be fair, I have always been keen on making lists and setting dates for when I want to accomplish my goals, but one thing I have learned is that a list alone won't do it. Sure, it's helpful to have a guide, but it's only as effective as the person who carries out the steps. All too often I have become impatient and wanted to move forward too quickly and I think this was the cause of many of my early failures. I have found that there needs to be a balance between giving yourself adequate time to progress versus simply waiting too long and letting opportunities pass you by. Planning out my trip to Spain has been a learning process, and thankfully I have had help along the way in planning it all out. Without some assistance, I think it would have fallen apart just like many of my other ideas.
I had set a goal of purchasing the plane ticket in October. I was hoping by then the prices would be low and I would have saved ample cash to go ahead and buy it. Of course, October was still months away when I set that goal and I watched as the prices fluctuated up and down. Sure, I was hoping to find a great deal, but from the very beginning of planning this trip I had an idea in mind of what the ticket was going to cost me. Well, just this week the prices went up and down like crazy and I finally decided I had to jump at the opportunity. The price was actually a bit lower than I had planned on spending, but slightly higher than I had seen it previously. Well, I couldn't make any more excuses. Waiting until October was just another chance to fail in my trip. Buying the ticket this week would solidify my trip and finally make this dream of mine reality. And a reality it now is.
Originally, the trip was planned for May of 2016, not 2015. In my mind, I needed two years to prepare myself both psychologically and financially to go across the sea, when in truth, two years simply gave me enough time to find excuses not to take the trip. A lot can happen in two years and it would have been very easy to use any little event to discourage me from going. A year of planning is a safe goal. It makes saving enough money a realistic possibility while at the same time keeping the idea fresh in your mind so you don't lose your motivation to go. Now that it's official, I am aching to set sail! Buying the ticket was another part of the process that took careful planning and making the right choice as to when to buy.
Balancing our steps isn't always easy, but it's necessary in order to succeed. I think I found the right balance of being patient and still moving forward and thanks to my discovery, my dream of traveling to Spain is now going to be a reality!
Just like learning Spanish, planning for this trip was a step by step process, and I think without the experience I have had with learning Spanish, I may have never made it this far. I think we all have dreams and fantasies of the life experiences we want to have, but few of us manage to fulfill all of these dreams simply because we lack planning. Now, to be fair, I have always been keen on making lists and setting dates for when I want to accomplish my goals, but one thing I have learned is that a list alone won't do it. Sure, it's helpful to have a guide, but it's only as effective as the person who carries out the steps. All too often I have become impatient and wanted to move forward too quickly and I think this was the cause of many of my early failures. I have found that there needs to be a balance between giving yourself adequate time to progress versus simply waiting too long and letting opportunities pass you by. Planning out my trip to Spain has been a learning process, and thankfully I have had help along the way in planning it all out. Without some assistance, I think it would have fallen apart just like many of my other ideas.
I had set a goal of purchasing the plane ticket in October. I was hoping by then the prices would be low and I would have saved ample cash to go ahead and buy it. Of course, October was still months away when I set that goal and I watched as the prices fluctuated up and down. Sure, I was hoping to find a great deal, but from the very beginning of planning this trip I had an idea in mind of what the ticket was going to cost me. Well, just this week the prices went up and down like crazy and I finally decided I had to jump at the opportunity. The price was actually a bit lower than I had planned on spending, but slightly higher than I had seen it previously. Well, I couldn't make any more excuses. Waiting until October was just another chance to fail in my trip. Buying the ticket this week would solidify my trip and finally make this dream of mine reality. And a reality it now is.
Originally, the trip was planned for May of 2016, not 2015. In my mind, I needed two years to prepare myself both psychologically and financially to go across the sea, when in truth, two years simply gave me enough time to find excuses not to take the trip. A lot can happen in two years and it would have been very easy to use any little event to discourage me from going. A year of planning is a safe goal. It makes saving enough money a realistic possibility while at the same time keeping the idea fresh in your mind so you don't lose your motivation to go. Now that it's official, I am aching to set sail! Buying the ticket was another part of the process that took careful planning and making the right choice as to when to buy.
Balancing our steps isn't always easy, but it's necessary in order to succeed. I think I found the right balance of being patient and still moving forward and thanks to my discovery, my dream of traveling to Spain is now going to be a reality!
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Overcoming It
Despite my recently discovered courage to try new things and take on new adventures, I still have plenty of moments of doubt and fear. Just yesterday, for reasons unknown, I started to panic and think about all the negative things that could happen to me during my trip to Spain. Thoughts of being robbed, getting lost, or simply being absolutely miserable crept into my mind and I started asking myself why I was planning this trip in the first place. It's going to cost me a lot of money. It could even potentially cost me my job if I am not careful. What if I come back and have no job, no money left over, and suddenly no place to live? All of these thoughts were charging through my brain and I began to wonder if it was all worthwhile. I have lived comfortably and safely for thirty-three years. I wake up in a safe bed every morning, I drive my little car to my simple job, and I earn a paycheck that lets me spend lazy Saturdays at Starbucks or occasionally see a Thursday night movie with friends. That's not so bad, right? That's a pretty calm and comfortable life, free of worry or panic. No reason to complain, right? WRONG.
For far too long I have convinced myself that safer is better and I allowed my fear of the world to keep me locked away in my tight little bubble. Sure, I had my friends and family to keep me company but even my friends have traveled a bit, even if only within the confines of The United States. Two of my siblings have traveled abroad and my youngest brother has been to the West Coast. I have only traveled as far as Florida and to be honest, I didn't really take advantage of my time there. Spending a month in Spain is going to be incredible. Even if it rains every day, I will find new things, new places, new opportunities to be an entirely different person and see the world from an entirely new angle. If I continue to allow my subconscious to control my actions, I will never experience life. I want to live, not just be alive!
Were it not for speaking Spanish I probably would have allowed my brain to prevent me from ever traveling anywhere in the world. I am thankful that my obsession for speaking a second language has granted me the confidence to take chances in my life. Sure, there is still that fear that I will get to Spain and my brain will freeze and suddenly all that vocabulary I have studied will be for nothing, but I have to overcome this ridiculous notion and have confidence in my abilities. I have to have confidence in myself! We all have fears but we all have the ability to conquer our fears as well. What fears are you overcoming to better your life? Is language learning a part of that? Let me know and we can talk soon!
Also, if you like my blog, maybe you could check this out!
For far too long I have convinced myself that safer is better and I allowed my fear of the world to keep me locked away in my tight little bubble. Sure, I had my friends and family to keep me company but even my friends have traveled a bit, even if only within the confines of The United States. Two of my siblings have traveled abroad and my youngest brother has been to the West Coast. I have only traveled as far as Florida and to be honest, I didn't really take advantage of my time there. Spending a month in Spain is going to be incredible. Even if it rains every day, I will find new things, new places, new opportunities to be an entirely different person and see the world from an entirely new angle. If I continue to allow my subconscious to control my actions, I will never experience life. I want to live, not just be alive!
Were it not for speaking Spanish I probably would have allowed my brain to prevent me from ever traveling anywhere in the world. I am thankful that my obsession for speaking a second language has granted me the confidence to take chances in my life. Sure, there is still that fear that I will get to Spain and my brain will freeze and suddenly all that vocabulary I have studied will be for nothing, but I have to overcome this ridiculous notion and have confidence in my abilities. I have to have confidence in myself! We all have fears but we all have the ability to conquer our fears as well. What fears are you overcoming to better your life? Is language learning a part of that? Let me know and we can talk soon!
Also, if you like my blog, maybe you could check this out!
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Moving Beyond Beginner
When it comes to learning Spanish, or basically any other language known to man, the internet has become a treasure trove of information. I would say anyone with a strong desire to learn could get themselves well past the "beginner stage" of language learning without spending a dime thanks to all the great free sites out there. When I first dove into Spanish, I spent hours Googling every resource I could find, and I must say, I was fairly successful. Sure, I like to possess my learning materials, so while I probably did spend more money than I should have I can still say that doesn't have to be your road to success. That is, if you are only looking to get past the beginner stage. Unfortunately, one road block I have found in my journey is one I am sure many of you have come across as well. What do you do when asking "Where is the bathroom?" may be the only phrase you can readily pull from your repertoire? You can order your meal at the local restaurant, but what about having a conversation with the waiter that goes beyond asking for more napkins? I can tell you again and again how many brothers and sisters I have, but what if I want to talk about their personalities? I have read time and time again about the plateaus we reach but I have yet to discover a truly successful learning path to take once we are past the basics in order to keep climbing. I mean, I guess we can always force feed ourselves more vocabulary and try our hand at more verb conjugations, but let's face it. That's just boring. If you're like me, you want to TALK, not just memorize boring vocabulary.
When I was first learning all the various ways to conjugate Spanish verbs I kept myself busy by playing games that challenged me to conjugate verbs and phrases as fast as I could. It was fun and now I have a pretty solid grasp on all the various Spanish verb forms, and I even go back and review every now and then, but the only comparison I can make is that I feel like a high school student being forced to go back to elementary school. Sure, I am reviewing the basics and if I only want to have very remedial conversations it's a great thing to do, but I want to talk about sports, politics, that cute girl sitting at the end of the bar. I'm not learning how to do any of that if I can only say, "Hi, my name is James. I live in an apartment and have blonde hair." I mean, really is this how we introduce ourselves?
So what do we do to get past the basics? How do we transform a set of rote phrases into the ability to really converse in the language we want to converse in? I know many people are going to start shouting Skype, Skype, Skype, and I agree, I think Skype is a great tool, BUT Skype alone isn't going to teach you how to converse. It will certainly allow you to practice the skills you have, and surely you'll improve those skills, but even a true language teacher isn't going to be able to offer you a complete package like that. You'd basically be asking them to teach you how to be fluent. That's a tall order to fill.
For me, my solution has been my Spanish blog, which I have been working on since 2010. Unfortunately, it doesn't directly improve my speaking ability, although I do on occasion read my entries aloud to myself as means of practicing. This helps my pronunciation a bit, but in a real life situation, you aren't likely to have a script to hold in front of you as you go. In fact, one of my biggest challenges has been being able to respond to someone in Spanish when they catch me off guard with a topic I may not be too familiar with and I'm not ready to respond. One advantage of the blog however is that it gives me time to think of phrases I may actually use in everyday conversation and then I go look them up and add it to my vocabulary. It's been slow going, but I do feel having the blog is better than nothing, but I would really like to find resources out there that address moving past the intermediate stages and into the more advanced stuff. If anyone knows of any great advanced learning sites, I'd love to hear about them. I'm planning on compiling a list of my favorite sites and I'll be sure to take any suggestions I receive into consideration.
So really, what ways have you found to move past the beginner stage? I've got a few ideas floating around my head but I'd like to hear from some other folks first. Let me know and we can start progressing together.
When I was first learning all the various ways to conjugate Spanish verbs I kept myself busy by playing games that challenged me to conjugate verbs and phrases as fast as I could. It was fun and now I have a pretty solid grasp on all the various Spanish verb forms, and I even go back and review every now and then, but the only comparison I can make is that I feel like a high school student being forced to go back to elementary school. Sure, I am reviewing the basics and if I only want to have very remedial conversations it's a great thing to do, but I want to talk about sports, politics, that cute girl sitting at the end of the bar. I'm not learning how to do any of that if I can only say, "Hi, my name is James. I live in an apartment and have blonde hair." I mean, really is this how we introduce ourselves?
So what do we do to get past the basics? How do we transform a set of rote phrases into the ability to really converse in the language we want to converse in? I know many people are going to start shouting Skype, Skype, Skype, and I agree, I think Skype is a great tool, BUT Skype alone isn't going to teach you how to converse. It will certainly allow you to practice the skills you have, and surely you'll improve those skills, but even a true language teacher isn't going to be able to offer you a complete package like that. You'd basically be asking them to teach you how to be fluent. That's a tall order to fill.
For me, my solution has been my Spanish blog, which I have been working on since 2010. Unfortunately, it doesn't directly improve my speaking ability, although I do on occasion read my entries aloud to myself as means of practicing. This helps my pronunciation a bit, but in a real life situation, you aren't likely to have a script to hold in front of you as you go. In fact, one of my biggest challenges has been being able to respond to someone in Spanish when they catch me off guard with a topic I may not be too familiar with and I'm not ready to respond. One advantage of the blog however is that it gives me time to think of phrases I may actually use in everyday conversation and then I go look them up and add it to my vocabulary. It's been slow going, but I do feel having the blog is better than nothing, but I would really like to find resources out there that address moving past the intermediate stages and into the more advanced stuff. If anyone knows of any great advanced learning sites, I'd love to hear about them. I'm planning on compiling a list of my favorite sites and I'll be sure to take any suggestions I receive into consideration.
So really, what ways have you found to move past the beginner stage? I've got a few ideas floating around my head but I'd like to hear from some other folks first. Let me know and we can start progressing together.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
New Friends In New Places
Before I truly dedicated myself to learning Spanish, the program Skype held little appeal to me. I had grown up in the land of chat rooms and instant messaging way back in the 90's and felt they had run their course. When I started looking for ways to improve my communication skills, however, I quickly discovered how useful a program like Skype can be. I can't say exactly how long I have been using the program, but I can say that every one of my Skype friends are native Spanish speakers and none of them live in The United States. Were it not for Skype or other similar chat based programs, I don't know that I ever would have made the progress I have made in speaking Spanish.
This realization brought about another interesting thought to my mind. A monolingual person would likely only have friends who speak the same language as them. That seems logical, right? Well, being at the very least bilingual opens the doors to make many new friends. According to Wikipedia, there are roughly 21 countries in the world in which Spanish is the dominant language. Thanks to Skype, and thanks to my efforts in speaking Spanish, I can potentially make friends in 21 countries in which that wouldn't have been possible were I to only speak English. That's literally MILLIONS of potential friends I would never have had the chance to make were I monolingual.
OK, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact is, speaking multiple languages allows you to meet so many new and interesting people. While I once dabbled in learning additional languages (Italian, French, and Portuguese) I backed off after a few months of studying and made my focus Spanish only, at least until I felt totally comfortable speaking in Spanish without having to fall back on English. I'm not quite there, but the thought has once again popped into my brain, and I can only imagine how my friend list would explode were I to start chatting in Italian, French, and Portuguese. I find it incredible how easy it is to meet new people simply by saying I am an English speaker who is learning Spanish. So many people are eager to talk with me, I honestly can't always respond to them all at once.
My upcoming trip to Spain has inspired me to start thinking about other potential adventures and I started thinking about how great it would be not only to visit each of those 21 different Spanish speaking countries, but to have a Skype friend in each one to potentially meet in person. Sure, 21 countries is a lot of travelling, but to meet at least 21 new friends all over the world would be quite a feat. Right now, I just need to focus on meeting my friends in Spain.
So how has language learning changed your friendship status? Have you found people near and far to help you practice? Does having friends help keep you on pace with your learning? I like to offer challenges to some of my Spanish speaking friends, such as to write 50 words or more in English for me to read next time we chat. Do you think language competitions will help you buckle down and study a little harder? Let me know your thoughts and experiences!
This realization brought about another interesting thought to my mind. A monolingual person would likely only have friends who speak the same language as them. That seems logical, right? Well, being at the very least bilingual opens the doors to make many new friends. According to Wikipedia, there are roughly 21 countries in the world in which Spanish is the dominant language. Thanks to Skype, and thanks to my efforts in speaking Spanish, I can potentially make friends in 21 countries in which that wouldn't have been possible were I to only speak English. That's literally MILLIONS of potential friends I would never have had the chance to make were I monolingual.
OK, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact is, speaking multiple languages allows you to meet so many new and interesting people. While I once dabbled in learning additional languages (Italian, French, and Portuguese) I backed off after a few months of studying and made my focus Spanish only, at least until I felt totally comfortable speaking in Spanish without having to fall back on English. I'm not quite there, but the thought has once again popped into my brain, and I can only imagine how my friend list would explode were I to start chatting in Italian, French, and Portuguese. I find it incredible how easy it is to meet new people simply by saying I am an English speaker who is learning Spanish. So many people are eager to talk with me, I honestly can't always respond to them all at once.
My upcoming trip to Spain has inspired me to start thinking about other potential adventures and I started thinking about how great it would be not only to visit each of those 21 different Spanish speaking countries, but to have a Skype friend in each one to potentially meet in person. Sure, 21 countries is a lot of travelling, but to meet at least 21 new friends all over the world would be quite a feat. Right now, I just need to focus on meeting my friends in Spain.
So how has language learning changed your friendship status? Have you found people near and far to help you practice? Does having friends help keep you on pace with your learning? I like to offer challenges to some of my Spanish speaking friends, such as to write 50 words or more in English for me to read next time we chat. Do you think language competitions will help you buckle down and study a little harder? Let me know your thoughts and experiences!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
The Trip To Spain
The idea came to me mostly as a lark last November. I had often said in passing that I would like to see another country but I had never made any real attempts at actually going through with it. The "old" me was very good at talking the talk but never walking the walk. I would say all kinds of things to my friends only to back out at the last minute. One day I let it slip out that I would like to see Spain someday, not with the intention of going on vacation, but rather to spend time there totally immersed in the language. I had become frustrated with my progress in speaking the language despite becoming rather good at reading and writing. If you don't believe me, check out my blog written entirely in Spanish! My one struggle was still with speaking confidently. While I do not subscribe to the notion that one must live in a foreign country in order to learn the language, I did feel dropping myself in the middle of Spain would force me to speak the language and therefore increase my proficiency. That being said, there was a lot more going on in my head besides simply going to Spain.
I'm 33 years old and I have never left the country. In fact, I have never done much of anything daring. I allowed myself to become content with a life that was fairly plain and uninteresting. I made excuses not to do things and found myself often hidden inside a shell, afraid to face the world around me. Around the same time the idea of travelling to Spain bubbled up inside my thoughts, I had reached a low point in my life. I was unhappy with who I was and who I had allowed myself to become. Those around me saw me as a grumpy, rigid, unhappy person. Instead of countering those notions, I let it define who I was and it brought me into a deep depression. Thankfully, I saw what was happening and through a series of events, I climbed my way out. Part of my resurrection came when I decided to make the trip to Spain a reality instead of a fantasy. Going to Spain became more about challenging who I was and who I wanted to be. It was about more than taking a vacation. It was about putting myself in the most uncomfortable position I have ever been in and telling myself that I can do this. Originally, I planned on making the trip immediately after my 35th birthday in 2016, but thanks to some wonderful inspiration I have decided to go in May of 2015. I will spend the entire month in Spain, dividing my time between Madrid and Valencia and my goal is not to speak Spanish, rather it is to NOT speak English. You see, speaking Spanish is easy enough, but I can always fall back on English. If I make the goal to not use a single word of English, it forces me to find other means of communication.
There are so many other factors that are going to play into this trip. I used to say I was afraid to fly. Well, there aren't too many ways to reach Spain from The United States without a plane. I am quiet in social crowds. If I am going to improve my speaking skills, I'm going to have to talk, and I imagine it will be uncomfortable for me to start conversations with total strangers, especially those who don't speak English. Despite living alone, I have never been comfortable going places on my own where I don't know people. I am fairly certain I do not know a single person in Spain. This trip is about so much more than seeing a foreign country. This trip is about challenging myself and every aspect of who I am.
So what I want to know is how those of you out there have used a new language to overcome any fears or reservations about life you may have? Has speaking a new language offered you the confidence to do things you wouldn't have otherwise done? I still have months to prepare for my trip and it has given me a new reason to wake up with a smile on my face every morning. How about you? Let me know and I'll be sure to add more here soon.
I'm 33 years old and I have never left the country. In fact, I have never done much of anything daring. I allowed myself to become content with a life that was fairly plain and uninteresting. I made excuses not to do things and found myself often hidden inside a shell, afraid to face the world around me. Around the same time the idea of travelling to Spain bubbled up inside my thoughts, I had reached a low point in my life. I was unhappy with who I was and who I had allowed myself to become. Those around me saw me as a grumpy, rigid, unhappy person. Instead of countering those notions, I let it define who I was and it brought me into a deep depression. Thankfully, I saw what was happening and through a series of events, I climbed my way out. Part of my resurrection came when I decided to make the trip to Spain a reality instead of a fantasy. Going to Spain became more about challenging who I was and who I wanted to be. It was about more than taking a vacation. It was about putting myself in the most uncomfortable position I have ever been in and telling myself that I can do this. Originally, I planned on making the trip immediately after my 35th birthday in 2016, but thanks to some wonderful inspiration I have decided to go in May of 2015. I will spend the entire month in Spain, dividing my time between Madrid and Valencia and my goal is not to speak Spanish, rather it is to NOT speak English. You see, speaking Spanish is easy enough, but I can always fall back on English. If I make the goal to not use a single word of English, it forces me to find other means of communication.
There are so many other factors that are going to play into this trip. I used to say I was afraid to fly. Well, there aren't too many ways to reach Spain from The United States without a plane. I am quiet in social crowds. If I am going to improve my speaking skills, I'm going to have to talk, and I imagine it will be uncomfortable for me to start conversations with total strangers, especially those who don't speak English. Despite living alone, I have never been comfortable going places on my own where I don't know people. I am fairly certain I do not know a single person in Spain. This trip is about so much more than seeing a foreign country. This trip is about challenging myself and every aspect of who I am.
So what I want to know is how those of you out there have used a new language to overcome any fears or reservations about life you may have? Has speaking a new language offered you the confidence to do things you wouldn't have otherwise done? I still have months to prepare for my trip and it has given me a new reason to wake up with a smile on my face every morning. How about you? Let me know and I'll be sure to add more here soon.
It Has To Start Somewhere
My name is James, and as you may already know, I have a small obsession with speaking Spanish. I've been hanging about Google+ since its inception, but never really found my calling when it came to involving myself in the Google community; that is, until now. While there are truckloads of pages devoted to language learning and just as many devoted to self-improvement, I am not so sure there are all that many associated with using foreign language acquisition as a means of self-improvement. Well, OK, maybe they exist, but I haven't found them, and this was an idea I had the other night, so I decided to run with it.
I thought it best in my first entry to offer a little background of who I am and what brought me here today. Also, I thought it might be nice to give you an idea of how I would like to run this blog so you know what to expect. First of all, a little about me.
Like many students throughout the world, years ago I was forced to learn a foreign language in high school. It was dull, it was confusing, and it was in no way helpful in learning how to communicate with other people. I learned the most basic phrases and spent most of my time trying to learn the most common Spanish swear words. Once I graduated, I mostly forgot what little I had learned. That was until I was confronted with a reason to actually speak the language. You see, I work with a lot of Spanish speaking people and I found it a little uncomfortable to see such a divide among the English speaking employees and the Spanish speaking employees. Some time around 2008, I decided to refresh my memory and start talking with the Spanish speaking members of the staff. I made a promise to them that June that in three months I would be able to communicate with them conversationally. Today, nearly six years later, I am still learning, but I am proud to say I have really impressed them with my progress and have reached a point where I can discuss almost any topic in Spanish without feeling totally lost in the conversation. I'm not perfect and I still have a lot of progress to be made, but it has opened up a new world for me.
That brings me to the second part of this blog. Speaking Spanish has not only made it easier for me to speak to my employees, but it has given me new found confidence in myself. I have always been a shy person and often times avoided talking for fear of embarrassment. I'm not entirely sure what it is about Spanish, but I get a tremendous high anytime I can talk with another Spanish speaker and feel like we understand one another perfectly. I watch my favorite movies in Spanish and I read some of the best novels in Spanish. Learning a second language has truly enriched my life, and I decided I wanted to start this blog as a way to share my experiences as well as learn from others who have found such pleasure in a new language. I'm going to attempt to write it both in English and in Spanish, but I have also included the Google Translate button for anyone who wants to read along in any language. I welcome comments and stories of both success and failure when it comes to learning a foreign language, because anyone who has attempted to learn a new language knows all too well the struggles that come with it. I'm creating this blog in the hopes of inspiring others to fulfill some of their life's dreams and it doesn't necessarily have to be through a new language. It just so happens that's how it worked out for me.
My plan is simple, but to be honest, I haven't looked all that far down the road. I am hoping to structure these entries around the responses I get from others, but I will of course use this page as a way to share my experiences and offer my thoughts. I hope to make some new friends along the way, so if you're interested, jump on board, because away we go.
I thought it best in my first entry to offer a little background of who I am and what brought me here today. Also, I thought it might be nice to give you an idea of how I would like to run this blog so you know what to expect. First of all, a little about me.
Like many students throughout the world, years ago I was forced to learn a foreign language in high school. It was dull, it was confusing, and it was in no way helpful in learning how to communicate with other people. I learned the most basic phrases and spent most of my time trying to learn the most common Spanish swear words. Once I graduated, I mostly forgot what little I had learned. That was until I was confronted with a reason to actually speak the language. You see, I work with a lot of Spanish speaking people and I found it a little uncomfortable to see such a divide among the English speaking employees and the Spanish speaking employees. Some time around 2008, I decided to refresh my memory and start talking with the Spanish speaking members of the staff. I made a promise to them that June that in three months I would be able to communicate with them conversationally. Today, nearly six years later, I am still learning, but I am proud to say I have really impressed them with my progress and have reached a point where I can discuss almost any topic in Spanish without feeling totally lost in the conversation. I'm not perfect and I still have a lot of progress to be made, but it has opened up a new world for me.
That brings me to the second part of this blog. Speaking Spanish has not only made it easier for me to speak to my employees, but it has given me new found confidence in myself. I have always been a shy person and often times avoided talking for fear of embarrassment. I'm not entirely sure what it is about Spanish, but I get a tremendous high anytime I can talk with another Spanish speaker and feel like we understand one another perfectly. I watch my favorite movies in Spanish and I read some of the best novels in Spanish. Learning a second language has truly enriched my life, and I decided I wanted to start this blog as a way to share my experiences as well as learn from others who have found such pleasure in a new language. I'm going to attempt to write it both in English and in Spanish, but I have also included the Google Translate button for anyone who wants to read along in any language. I welcome comments and stories of both success and failure when it comes to learning a foreign language, because anyone who has attempted to learn a new language knows all too well the struggles that come with it. I'm creating this blog in the hopes of inspiring others to fulfill some of their life's dreams and it doesn't necessarily have to be through a new language. It just so happens that's how it worked out for me.
My plan is simple, but to be honest, I haven't looked all that far down the road. I am hoping to structure these entries around the responses I get from others, but I will of course use this page as a way to share my experiences and offer my thoughts. I hope to make some new friends along the way, so if you're interested, jump on board, because away we go.
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