Stelle's log: Italian (with a side of Spanish)

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iguanamon
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Re: Stelle's log: Italian (with a side of Spanish)

Postby iguanamon » Mon May 22, 2017 3:25 pm

Stelle wrote:I know that this is only marginally language-related, but I would welcome anyone's thoughts on how to balance work and life.

I'm no expert on life or language-learning. For what it may be worth, here are some of my thoughts. I have observed in my life that people are happiest when they have more control over their own lives... like when you were in Guatemala. Life-work balance can be tricky. I haven't been an employee in several years. I'm self-employed and I like it precisely because I can control to a greater extent what I do and what comes at me. I realize that not everyone is cut out to do what I do. I believe that one can achieve a situation in working as an employee where one is happier even without having as much control as I do in my work.

Years ago, when the internet was young and I'd just moved here, I discovered Leo Babauta and his blog zenhabits. I quote from Leo from time to time here on the forum. It's not about religion or Buddhist practice but does take some inspiration from zen. The blog can be a bit confusing for linear-minded folks so I suggest you start here. Leo doesn't have all the answers. Neither do I, in life or language-learning, but I did find his philosophy helped guide me to find my own answers. It's an on-going project for me, life as well as language-learning. Maybe it may help you too. If not, no big deal.

There are a a couple of things I have observed in my time that help me along the way, one is that we can't control what happens to us many times in life, but we can control our reaction to it. The other is something the legendary baseball player and manager Yogi Berra said and it clicked with me:
Yogi Berra wrote:Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical

I have several friends and family who are and have been teachers in the US. They tell me that their summer break is critical to their mental and physical well-being. I have a cousin who segued out of teaching into administration because he found it less stressful and more rewarding to do what he could to fix the "system" from the inside. It also didn't hurt that the hours and pay were better. A friend of mine left teaching to become a private tutor. She then convinced a friend to join her and now has a business with employees helping kids after school. She says it gives her all the joy from teaching without the stress. Another friend left the job to go into another entirely different, but related field- online life-coach- just some ideas that may stimulate your thinking.

One thing that I find that helps me is getting outside. I'd be lost without my morning walk. When I have to travel to the mainland US, I do that there too, no matter the location or weather. It centers me. I can find something interesting or beautiful wherever I may be.
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Re: Stelle's log: Italian (with a side of Spanish)

Postby FrannieB » Tue May 23, 2017 12:00 am

Stelle -
I am in education like you and I can tell you the end of the year is tough. I have been doing this for 25+ years for some teachers it is the end of the year for me it is almost every February I ask myself what the hell I'm doing with my life because I feel so overwhelmed by everything that needs to be accomplished and I see how far we have come and how far we need to go.

However, I think you might be having reverse culture shock - I am highly sensitive to this when I travel to Central America. The first time I experienced it was after 1 month in Cuba with my Mom, I was just annoyed by America, Americans and my privilege. When I travel to Central America I can drop into the way of life so easily and have amazing happiness and feel centered with the world (hippy dippy I know but it is how I feel). Then I come home it takes me a while to adjust - The longer the trip the longer it takes. One week = no effect, two weeks = some, One month it absolutely happens and I can't imagine how it would be if I was away for as long as you were. You literally had no readjustment period to process the whole experience before jumping right back into things.
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Stelle
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Re: Stelle's log: Italian (with a side of Spanish)

Postby Stelle » Wed May 24, 2017 11:39 pm

I was at a low point a few days ago, but am feeling much better today. I think I just needed some rest and a bit of quiet time.
iguanamon wrote:(...) I have observed in my life that people are happiest when they have more control over their own lives... like when you were in Guatemala.
(...)
Years ago, when the internet was young and I'd just moved here, I discovered Leo Babauta and his blog zenhabits. (...) It's an on-going project for me, life as well as language-learning. Maybe it may help you too. If not, no big deal.
(...)
One thing that I find that helps me is getting outside. I'd be lost without my morning walk. When I have to travel to the mainland US, I do that there too, no matter the location or weather. It centers me. I can find something interesting or beautiful wherever I may be.

iguanamon - Thank you for all of this! I edited heavily in order to not quote your entire message, but I could have. You have a very calm and peaceful way of looking at the world...just reading your words made me feel a little calmer myself. I've spent the past few days digging through Zen Habits - it's a lovely site with very thoughtful posts. After reading several of his posts, I actually started doing something that I've never done before: incorporating a few minutes of meditation in the morning. I think that being more mindful and centred will really help me feel more in control of everything. And starting tomorrow (weather permitting), I'm going to start cycling 20 minutes to work.

So thank you, for your kind words and for taking the time to share them with me.
FrannieB wrote:Stelle -
I am in education like you and I can tell you the end of the year is tough. I have been doing this for 25+ years for some teachers it is the end of the year for me it is almost every February I ask myself what the hell I'm doing with my life because I feel so overwhelmed by everything that needs to be accomplished and I see how far we have come and how far we need to go.

However, I think you might be having reverse culture shock - I am highly sensitive to this when I travel to Central America. (...) When I travel to Central America I can drop into the way of life so easily and have amazing happiness and feel centered with the world (hippy dippy I know but it is how I feel). Then I come home it takes me a while to adjust - The longer the trip the longer it takes.

Thanks for sharing your insight, Frannie!

I usually enjoy the end of the year with my students, but this year is very different. I'm a specialist, so I'm teaching many different groups of kids, and I started only eight weeks before the end of the school year. I'm dealing with difficult behaviours and having a hard time managing my time properly. But this too shall pass. It's almost summer, and next year I'll be able to start new again. That's the best thing about this job...every year is a new beginning.

I definitely think you're on to something with the reverse culture shock. I really didn't have time to process my return, and I think I just need to find some time to do some thinking and writing.
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Stelle
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Re: Stelle's log: Italian (with a side of Spanish)

Postby Stelle » Wed May 24, 2017 11:49 pm

I forgot to post my six-week challenge update for Monday, May 22:

31 minutes assimil - passive wave lesson 51, shadowed some older lessons
25 minutes listening - Al Dente episode 13
16 minutes grammar - few pages of Italian Grammar Drills (still on the present tense chapter)
15 minutes online - Memrise and Duolingo (trying to spend less time on these resources)
15 minutes reading - finished Gli Sporcelli (108 pages)
10 minutes Language Transfer - track 15

total: 112 minutes
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Stelle
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Re: Stelle's log: Italian (with a side of Spanish)

Postby Stelle » Sat May 27, 2017 12:17 am

I didn't do anything at all yesterday! The day before I did a bit of Italian:

26 minutes listening – America 24
14 minutes online – Memrise and Duolingo
25 minutes Assimil – passive wave lesson 52

total: 65 minutes

My drive ebbs and flows, depending on my mood on any given day. Overall, I'm happy with my progress in Italian. Although I take a day off from time to time, I'm pretty consistent for the most part. I really want to keep pushing through with Assimil, but sometimes I feel too tired after work. I do think that it would be better to wake up half an hour earlier and do it first thing in the morning, but I find myself dragging my feet. First thing in the morning, I prefer to read or browse the internet while drinking my coffee.

I've booked a conversation class with an italki tutor for next Saturday. I think that I'd like to write a little bit more between now and then. My receptive Italian is decent, but I draw a blank every time I try to actually say something. I think that writing will help activate the language a bit, so that hopefully I'm not floundering too much during next week's conversation.
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Stelle
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Re: Stelle's log: Italian (with a side of Spanish)

Postby Stelle » Sun May 28, 2017 6:08 pm

I have to move away from daily updates. They're painfully boring to write, and I can only imagine how painfully boring they are to read. I miss my old log. I think that I actually want to abandon this log altogether and move back to my old one.

So that's what I'll do. Move back to weekly (or twice weekly) updates on my old log, link to this one there, and say thank you and sweet dreams to my Italian 6WC log.

For future updates, please come visit me here.

Grazie!
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