Oh noes! Woe is me! A colleague today mentioned today that she wanted to start learning Spanish. Her boyfriend is half-Dutch half-Mexican.He is bilingual. Before I knew it, I said: "let me know when you start. I will join you!" I feel really terrible now.
I really had to restrain myself to design a complere study programme for us.
Right now, I am torn.
IMy husband thinks one language is more than enough. I love my Syrian Colloquial lessons with my tutor and I plan to continue with those for the foreseeable future. I really want to continue with MSA, but I find good resources hard to come by. I will try again with a recommendation by Mezzofanti Guild: A new Arabic Grammar of the Written Grammar by Haywood and Nahmad.
Then there is French. I have worked hard to get B2 in the past and I feel it is a waste "let it rot" to quote Cavesa. Perhaps I could even reach the elusive C-levels., except for speaking (too little native speakers around here).
Then there is Persian. It is tempting, because I find Iran an fascinating country because of its history and current affairs in the Middle East. It would also be the first language I willl have to learn entirely outside school/university. It would be an interesting experiment. However, I am worried about stretching myself too thin. There is also the potential danger of getting Persian and Arabic mixed up, even though they belong to different language families. Here too, my opportunities to speak it would be few and far between, even though I have Iranian and Afghan colleagues.
And now there is Spanish. Although there is a question mark here, since my colleague is also doing her masters and that is hectic enough.
I am also not sure whether I have the mental energy for a whole new culture.
Starting both Spanish and Persian from scratch is out of the question. My poor brain would be fried.
Esteemed fellow language learners: Hilfe! Au secours! Waar is de nooduitgang!
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