Stirring up 2017 with Spoon [ Español | Italiano | Esperanto | Deutsch? ]
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:19 pm
The title is terrible, I know. If I think of anything better, I'll change it.
Hello everyone, and welcome to my 2017 log!
Just like last year, I wanted to create a new log to document the next 365 days of my life, as I aim to make some big changes to my language learning and I need a minty-fresh place to write about them.
Previous log: [2016] A Spoonful of Spanish [TAC] (feat. Italian, Esperanto & more)
There are true introductions about who I am and how/why I got started with each of my languages on my two previous logs, so here I'll just give an overview of where I am now.
My Life:
Early in 2016, I found myself a job in a call centre, and I'm still working there now. It's not the kind of job I wanted. Nor does it have anything to do with languages (which, considering I did a Spanish degree, is a bit of a big deal), but it has allowed me to start living more comfortably and even do some travelling, which I have enjoyed immensely.
Given that I am financially stable, my next big step is to move out of my mum's place. Technically, I have flown the nest before, living in university accommodation and in Spain for a year, but I have always returned, for financial reasons. This move will be great for me, as, without going into personal details, my current living situation is definitely not ideal. I have next to no privacy and very little time to myself, which is incredibly important to me. These limitations are affecting my productivity in all aspects of my life, as well as my overall happiness. I am hoping that, when I have found a place of my own, I will be able to organise my time more efficiently and get a lot more out of life in general.
Now for the languages!
Español:
My Spanish is currently in poor shape (I presume. As I never use it, I don't really know). In the last few months, I have left Spanish firmly on the back-burner. I read some, listen to some music, mutter random phrases to myself, but that's about it. This year, it's time to bring my first language love forward again, into the limelight. I'm going to get out my old uni grammar book and refresh my tired knowledge of the ins and outs of Spanish grammar, finally read the stack of books I picked up from Spain in 2013/14, watch some of the TV series everyone on this forum is watching, and make speaking Spanish a regular part of my life once and for all.
Italiano:
I have made progress in Italian this last year, as evidenced by the amount I'm reading in that language (which isn't a huge amount, but which hasn't been too bad) and my ability to make myself understood while in Italy in December. This year, it's time to get serious, so I'll be treating Italian as I will Spanish. I will be buying a grammar book to read from cover to cover, to finally get to grips with the more complex aspects of Italian grammar, and to understand why everything is said the way I hear/read it. Of course, I will also continue to read, find something I enjoy watching, and organise some regular speaking practice in this language too. I am considering working towards doing a B2 exam at some point.
Esperanto:
I still haven't finished the Duolingo Esperanto course and I haven't watched all of Pasporto al la tuta mondo yet either, both of which I started years ago. I struggle to speak Esperanto and I never practice writing it. This year, this will all change. Duolingo is going down. PALTM will be watched. Hell, I might even go on the new, swanky Lernu! and do some of the courses on there! I am planning on going to at least one Esperanto event in 2017 and I want to be able to hold my own in conversation, so I better start practising that too.
Deutsch:
I started learning German on an extremely casual basis in late 2016. I have only watched some youtube videos and bumbled through a couple of easy readers so far, but that's ok. I can understand a few simple sentences, and have a rough idea what some parts of a sentence are and how they work, but it's still very early days with German. I don't have any specific plans for this language in 2017, but I would like to at least make some progress.
Challenges:
I failed/gave up on almost every challenge I set myself last year, apart from the Super Challenge which is still going on. Therefore, I am going to give the challenges a rest this year (for the most part). I will finish the Super Challenge and then just give myself shorter-term goals to aim for, methinks,
My overall plans for 2017 are to sort my life out, and to focus on quality instead of quantity. Let's see how that goes!
Hello everyone, and welcome to my 2017 log!
Just like last year, I wanted to create a new log to document the next 365 days of my life, as I aim to make some big changes to my language learning and I need a minty-fresh place to write about them.
Previous log: [2016] A Spoonful of Spanish [TAC] (feat. Italian, Esperanto & more)
There are true introductions about who I am and how/why I got started with each of my languages on my two previous logs, so here I'll just give an overview of where I am now.
My Life:
Early in 2016, I found myself a job in a call centre, and I'm still working there now. It's not the kind of job I wanted. Nor does it have anything to do with languages (which, considering I did a Spanish degree, is a bit of a big deal), but it has allowed me to start living more comfortably and even do some travelling, which I have enjoyed immensely.
Given that I am financially stable, my next big step is to move out of my mum's place. Technically, I have flown the nest before, living in university accommodation and in Spain for a year, but I have always returned, for financial reasons. This move will be great for me, as, without going into personal details, my current living situation is definitely not ideal. I have next to no privacy and very little time to myself, which is incredibly important to me. These limitations are affecting my productivity in all aspects of my life, as well as my overall happiness. I am hoping that, when I have found a place of my own, I will be able to organise my time more efficiently and get a lot more out of life in general.
Now for the languages!
Español:
My Spanish is currently in poor shape (I presume. As I never use it, I don't really know). In the last few months, I have left Spanish firmly on the back-burner. I read some, listen to some music, mutter random phrases to myself, but that's about it. This year, it's time to bring my first language love forward again, into the limelight. I'm going to get out my old uni grammar book and refresh my tired knowledge of the ins and outs of Spanish grammar, finally read the stack of books I picked up from Spain in 2013/14, watch some of the TV series everyone on this forum is watching, and make speaking Spanish a regular part of my life once and for all.
Italiano:
I have made progress in Italian this last year, as evidenced by the amount I'm reading in that language (which isn't a huge amount, but which hasn't been too bad) and my ability to make myself understood while in Italy in December. This year, it's time to get serious, so I'll be treating Italian as I will Spanish. I will be buying a grammar book to read from cover to cover, to finally get to grips with the more complex aspects of Italian grammar, and to understand why everything is said the way I hear/read it. Of course, I will also continue to read, find something I enjoy watching, and organise some regular speaking practice in this language too. I am considering working towards doing a B2 exam at some point.
Esperanto:
I still haven't finished the Duolingo Esperanto course and I haven't watched all of Pasporto al la tuta mondo yet either, both of which I started years ago. I struggle to speak Esperanto and I never practice writing it. This year, this will all change. Duolingo is going down. PALTM will be watched. Hell, I might even go on the new, swanky Lernu! and do some of the courses on there! I am planning on going to at least one Esperanto event in 2017 and I want to be able to hold my own in conversation, so I better start practising that too.
Deutsch:
I started learning German on an extremely casual basis in late 2016. I have only watched some youtube videos and bumbled through a couple of easy readers so far, but that's ok. I can understand a few simple sentences, and have a rough idea what some parts of a sentence are and how they work, but it's still very early days with German. I don't have any specific plans for this language in 2017, but I would like to at least make some progress.
Challenges:
I failed/gave up on almost every challenge I set myself last year, apart from the Super Challenge which is still going on. Therefore, I am going to give the challenges a rest this year (for the most part). I will finish the Super Challenge and then just give myself shorter-term goals to aim for, methinks,
My overall plans for 2017 are to sort my life out, and to focus on quality instead of quantity. Let's see how that goes!