Stelle's log (Spanish, Italian, Tagalog)

[Spoonary]

Maybe our team could do a country-specific monthly challenge? Or gather country-specific podcasts, websites, and movies.

I'm just popping in to say that I would be all for something like this. Maybe the challenge could be to find some native materials from a country whose Spanish you never or rarely listen to?

Stelle, I am glad to see that you have picked up El tiempo entre costuras again. I know I said I didn't really like the book but I spent so much time plugging away at it that it has taken a special place in my heart and I like to know other people are reading it

[iguanamon]

If you can understand La Tremenda Corte and especially the character called Trespatines, then you can learn to understand practically anything in Spanish ,). This is a comedy radio show from pre-revolutionary Cuba recorded in the 1940's and 1950's. Believe it or not, it is still on the air today on several radio stations throughout the world. The history of the show is explained on the home page Historia de un exitoso programa radial. I listen to it often and it is still funny.

Being a radio show, there are no subtitles, but, there are about 3 or 4 episodes that have a script. On the first link I posted, click the first episode- Advinicido and then leer guión. There's also a lot of uniquely Cuban/Caribbean vocabulary.

A good series for Argentine Spanish is Epitafios. The first 13 episode season is available on DVD for $25-$15 US on Amazon. There are also English and Spanish subs. Think "Dexter".

[Stelle]

Maybe our team could do a country-specific monthly challenge? Or gather country-specific podcasts, websites, and movies.

I'm just popping in to say that I would be all for something like this. Maybe the challenge could be to find some native materials from a country whose Spanish you never or rarely listen to?

I really like this idea! I think that it's really easy at this level to get complacent. This adds a challenge to learning without feeling like too much "work".

I am glad to see that you have picked up El tiempo entre costuras again. I know I said I didn't really like the book but I spent so much time plugging away at it that it has taken a special place in my heart and I like to know other people are reading it

Slow and steady. Slow and steady. Slooooooooooooow and steady.

If you can understand La Tremenda Corte and especially the character called Trespatines, then you can learn to understand practically anything in Spanish ,). This is a comedy radio show from pre-revolutionary Cuba recorded in the 1940's and 1950's. Believe it or not, it is still on the air today on several radio stations throughout the world. The history of the show is explained on the home page Historia de un exitoso programa radial. I listen to it often and it is still funny.

Being a radio show, there are no subtitles, but, there are about 3 or 4 episodes that have a script. On the first link I posted, click the first episode- Advinicido and then leer guión. There's also a lot of uniquely Cuban/Caribbean vocabulary.

A good series for Argentine Spanish is Epitafios. The first 13 episode season is available on DVD for $25-$15 US on Amazon. There are also English and Spanish subs. Think "Dexter".

¡Muchas gracias por las recomendaciones! I'll definitely check out La Tremenda Corte - it sounds intriguing!

[Stelle]

Many thanks and warm wishes to the random person in Nova Scotia who received my package (accidentally sent across the country to a place in which I no longer live), and promptly marked it "return to sender". I'm sending you a thank you card in the mail this week. And I should have Apocalipsis Z Días Oscuros and Les Fourmis by the end of the week. Merci! ¡Gracias!

I finished my first book of 2016: 419 by Will Ferguson. It's a great read, and highly recommended to anyone looking for English books to add to their reading pile. It takes place in large part in Nigeria, and I loved how speaking multiple languages was just par for the course. It's fascinating to me that polyglottism (or even true bilingualism) is a Big Deal amongst people born in my country, but it's just part of everyday life in other parts of the world.

I've been reading in Spanish over the past few days, alternating between El Tiempo entre costuras and Como agua para chocolate. Como agua para chocolate is an absolutely beautiful book. Laura Esquivel is a true wordsmith. I have about 10 pages to go before I finish chapter 4, and then I'll post my thoughts in nuestro club de lectura.

[Stelle]

Tagalog

After another week of hit-and-miss Tagalog, I've decided that committing to Tagalog requires a lot more than simply writing it on a to-do list. So I've booked two one-hour italki sessions next week, with two different teachers. I spoke to one of them once before, last summer, and she seemed very nice, but it was only a half-hour trial session and I never followed up after that. The other teacher is completely new to me. I'm especially excited to work with her because she specializes in teaching Tagalog. Most of the Tagalog teachers that I've worked with in the past have been first and foremost English teachers.

I'm a bit annoyed at myself, since the conversations that I want to practise next week are things that I used to be able to do. It's just that after months and months of letting things atrophy, I feel like I have to start back at zero. Anyway, this is my plan for next week's tutoring sessions, as described in my emails:

Hello Carmela! Kumusta ka na? Mabuti ako!

I just wanted to give you an idea of what I'd like to do when we meet. My long-term goal with Tagalog is simply to be able to have conversations with people, so that's really what I need to work on.

My conversation skills are *very* weak. Next week, I'd like to practice talking about myself, so basic "hello" and introductions. I'd like to talk about why I'm learning Tagalog, since most Filipinos ask me that question. I'd also like to talk about what I do for a living.

Ideally, I need to have the same conversation several times to gain confidence and get more fluent. I'd also like to practise asking you questions about the same topics, and trying to understand your answers, so that I can work on both listening and speaking. It might be boring for you, but I'll try to be at least a little bit interesting! Haha!

You don't have to plan or prepare anything for me. I'll prepare vocabulary for the topics that I suggested to you, and you can just help me sound more natural (pronunciation, sentence structure, expressions, etc).

Just in case we have extra time (since an hour of conversation might be really long with my low skills), we can practise reading aloud some of the dialogues from Elementary Tagalog for pronunciation and intonation practice. I'd also like to practise looking at pictures and describing what I see. I'll send you links to the dialogue and pictures.

I'm looking forward to talking to you - even though I'm nervous!

Maraming salamat,
Stelle

[Stelle]

Spanish

I wonder if I should just copy and paste my Spanish updates every week, seeing as how I pretty much do the exact same thing over and over again! This week, I read some stuff and listened to some stuff and watched some other stuff.

I still haven't received my copy of Gramática de Uso del español C1. It's been "in transit" for over two weeks now. I hope I'll receive it before the end of the month.

Reading:

Como agua para chocolate - 2 chapters. This is really a beautiful book! If it weren't for the book club, I'd be reading it more quickly. But I'm enjoying the fact that I need to slow down. It's allowing me to really savour the words.

Los días oscuros - I just finished the second chapter of the second book in the Apocalipsis Z series. The thing that bothered me at the end of book one (no spoilers, I'll just say that it has to do with a new character) continues to make me roll my eyes in this book, but I'll wait and see how it pans out. I'm happy that this book is written in narrative form rather than following the diary format of book one.

Listening:

Many thanks to @Spoonary for mentioning Porqué Podcast: Porqué ese boom del fenómeno zombie on her log! I absolutely *loved* it. I was familiar with most of the zombie movies/TV shows that they mentioned, and it was a lot of fun to listen to it. The guests/hosts made me laugh out loud more than once. Highly recommended for any zombie-lovers! This was the only podcast that I listened to this week, but at over two hours long, it was spread out over several days.

We finished watching season one of Narcos on Netflix. What a great show! It was hard for me to understand the Spanish in the first few episodes, but I was very comfortable with the accent by the end of episode 8. I'm looking forward to season 2!

[James29]

Spanish

I wonder if I should just copy and paste my Spanish updates every week, seeing as how I pretty much do the exact same thing over and over again!

This was exactly the way I felt for the past two years or so. I basically just did the same thing over and over again. I found that it helps. Also, it will give us motivation when we see you doing what you are supposed to be doing.

[Spoonary]

Los días oscuros - I just finished the second chapter of the second book in the Apocalipsis Z series. The thing that bothered me at the end of book one (no spoilers, I'll just say that it has to do with a new character) continues to make me roll my eyes in this book, but I'll wait and see how it pans out. I'm happy that this book is written in narrative form rather than following the diary format of book one.

So much for reading this one together Nah, I'm not bothered really. I just started a new book in English today, but when I have finished that (which won't take too long) and polished off the end of 'los Egipcios', I will be joining you and arthaey in zombie-infested Spain once again.

And re: Porqué Podcast, you're welcome!

[Stelle]

@Spoonary - I'm sorry! I forgot to PM you before starting! I got the book in the mail, and I just couldn't help myself. I'll wait for you if you want! Honestly, I should focus on the two *other* Spanish books I'm in the middle of, anyway... (I'm looking at you, El tiempo entre costuras)

@James29, thank you!

[Spoonary]

Hehe, don't worry about it, Stelle, really. You enjoy reading whatever you like and I'll catch up sooner or later.