Il viaggio di Shandra

[shandra]

The first term of the year (four months) ended with 5000 pages of English books.

Now that I'm in for the Super Challenge I reset my progress bar to zero.

I'd like to keep on reading in English, my stronger language (C reading level), and then add Spanish (B level) in, or after, summer.

This week I've started studying for an open competitive exam for a State level employment (concorso pubblico).

I am already in rankings for a B-level job (I am number 83, they've just hired number 77!). This exam is for C-level. I'm using Anki to practice quizzes (about laws... ).

I felt so strong the urge to procrastinating study that I almost registered for the FCE certification and add further stress to my life

Yesterday I put the idea of learning Hindi in the drawer for now.
But today I brought out Russian

[shandra]

My 2018 Super Challenge

English Reading
Author | Title | Month | Pages
J. Thomson, The Secret Documents of Sherlock Holmes, May, 280
A. Thomas, The Detective, the Woman and the Silent Hive, May, 200
J. K. Rowling, Fantastic beasts and where to find them, May, (300) 100 been a screenplay
TY Correct English, August, 200
K. Mancinelli, The Ketogenic Diet, September, 200
MK Mueller, 8 to Your Ideal Weight, September, 150
D. Allen, Getting Things Done, December, 250
: 1380 / 5000 5000 pages

English Media
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, S1, 650 min, S2, 650 min, S3, 400 min.
The Hollow, S1 ep. 1>5, 100
The Toys that Made Us, S2, 160
Over the Garden Wall, 100
Mr Peabody and Sherman, S1 ep. 1, 20
Legend Quest, S1E1-2, 50 min
Hilda, S1E1>3 60 min
Moana, 100 min
Beauty and the Beast, 120 min
: 2400 / 9000 9000 minutes

Spanish Reading
J. Rulfo, Pedro Páramo, May, 100
: 100 / 5000 2500 pages

Japanese Media
「3月のライオン」ep. 1>11, July, 220
「働くお兄さん」S1, July, 52
「パンでPeace」S1, July, 36
「ユーリ!!! on ICE」July, 240
「Erased」August, 240
「Saint Seiya, The Lost Canvas」December, 520
「光のお父さん」December, 160
「Assassination Classroom」December, E5 100
: 1568 / 4500 4500 minutes

Russian Media
Rutube videos, 165
Последний богатырь, Posledni bogatyr, 110
Легенда о Коловрате, Legenda o Kolovrate, 110
Гоголь. Начало, Gogol. Nachalo, 105
Жили-были, Zhili-byli, 80
Защитники, Zashchitniki, 90
Ночной дозор, Nočnoj Dozor, 115
Интерны, Interny, ep. 1>3, 25*3
: 850 / 4500 4500 minutes

Indian media
Aiyya, 150 min
Happy New Year, 180 min
Dharam Sankat Mein, 127 min
OMG, 128 min
Tanu weds Manu, 110 min
: 695 / 4500 4500 minutes

Arabic Media
Barakah meets Barakah, 85 min
: 85 / 4500 4500 minutes

French Media
Tin Tin, S1E1>2, 40 min
Au service de la France, S1E1, 20 min
Le petit Nicolas, 70min
La belle et la bête, 100 min
: 230 / 4500 4500 minutes

French Reading
Author | Title | Month | Pages
Leo et l'homme du pont, November, 10
Julie est amoreuse, November, 12
Emma et la perle Blanche, November 10
Mysteres au Grand Hotel, November, 20
Le casque misterieux, November, 35
La Vérité sur l'affaire Harry Quebert, December, 700
La disparition de Stephanie Mailer, December, 640
: 1427 / 2500 2500 pages

Chinese Media
特工皇妃楚乔传 (Princess Agents), E5, 225 min
: 225 / 4500 4500 minutes

Challenge	Book Pages/day	Film Min:sec/day
Half	4.10	7:23
Full	8.20	14:45
Double	16.40	29:30

Thanks Deinonysus for the table

[shandra]

Two busy months have passed since my last update.

I attended three Russian lessons with my cousin because he asked his Russian stepmother to help him in view of a trip abroad.
It was really nice. I was able to read textbook's sentences with a decent pronunciation. I also discovered some modern Russian movie and had fun watching them in spite of not understanding what was said.

In June I dreamed about JLPT (test enrollment takes place between July and September) when I was called for another text.

Do you remember the open competitive exam for a State level employment (concorso pubblico) I was telling you about last time?

It's next week. Thanks to Anki I am really confident about the quiz part, but I'm not ready enough for the written one.

I'll try it, but it has become less important because the 2nd of July I began my new job (simply put: secretary for the Technical Office in a hospital).

I obtained this position for the concorso pubblico I passed two years ago.

My language-related goals from August on concern Japanese.

I want to study it in order to
- understand the gist of dialogs in anime without relying only on subs
- talk about everyday matters (A1-2 level)

Those goals seem more relevant than generically pass N4.

I need to put my effort on my job, but I want to be consistent with my study plan and gain concrete skills.

[shandra]

I sat for the last stage of that open competitive exam for a State level employment (concorso pubblico) this afternoon.

I passed the whole thing, but with an average mark. I'm a bit disappointed, but life goes on.

I'll rest for a couple of days, and then I'll study harder for another exam (the same thing, but from other hospital). This time I'm more motivated because it's possible that we won't have such exams for some years. It seems a perfectly timed second chance.

Last weekend I took my breaks watching Yuri on Ice with subs. For the 6WC I'll watch Erased (the anime) unsubbed because I've already watched the dorama and knew the plot (and who is the murderer). I hope I could focus on voices and words.

In my free time I'll have to alternate the study (or solid review) of administrative law and Japanese. Not the best premise for a 6WC, but something language related will help me recover.

[shandra]

The first third of the month is gone and I've done almost nothing for my Japanese 6WC, still being overwhelmed after my last exam.

I can't take a break this summer because I'm a newly hired (I haven't accumulated enough holidays to ask to go away). I feel tired and sometimes under pressure because I need to give a good impression during this probationary period of six months. Nevertheless, I want to do my best because I really like this new job.

I've been doing my Administrative Law Anki reviews, but I've not started yet to study from the textbook. The hot weather and a full-time job (before it was part time) conspire against me.

I read with interest the thread "Opportunity Cost of FSI Category V languages". Being tired, in those days I've preferred to listen (and read) in English over to listen to the obscure Japanese and pick up only a bunch of words. Over my belt, I have English (my strongest language), Spanish (good passive skills), and a bit of Danish, Romanian and French (I can read novels in the latter).

I study languages for fun and personal interests.

At the moment I've found that I can't devote myself to a Category V language because I have a Law related exam behind the corner. The problems are that I don't know its expected date (it could be next autumn or even next year!) and that for me Law belongs to Category X.

The instant pleasure of understanding a lot of a new language is really tempting (relax and reward!). Exploring Cat. I List I wonder if it could be more interesting to dust my Danish university books or to discover what Swedish could offer.

You can say that I leave things half-done, or according to our jargon "at CEFR A".

Over the years I have discovered that it suits me better to be a "jack of all trades and master of none".

[shandra]

Just to let you know.

My office solves any technical problems impacting the hospital as a building. We managed equipment and people and meet everyday workers from our suppliers.

Today I see in my boss's office two of them. The surname of both sound foreign. I haven't asked yet, but I'm quite sure that they're from Romania.

Although nobody does it, in my country makes sense to study Romanian or Albanian because in the 90's we had a strong migration flow from those countries. Or at least, more sense than study a Scandinavian language as I wondered in my previous post. My chances to meet a Romanian has proved to be higher than to meet a Danish. So I've spent my day daydreaming about reopen my Romanian book (ten years ago I studied it for a semester and then forgot it).

I have to stop to write here. Every time after I share with you my thoughts, life comes in and I change ideas.

[shandra]

Another day without studying Law

I spent my Saturday afternoon reading TY Correct English. Average, but with a bunch of useful tips.

This summer I don't have any novel in my wish list, so I chose to read some essay in English about writing and grammar. Not a bad resolution, although I know that such skills would be better trained by doing and not simply by reading about them

I resolve to take benefit from the vast literature in English for English learners (and for natives).

It is a pity how I've neglected my studies of this language because I've considered English only as a mere tool to read about other topics of my interest.

I should stop complaining about my lazy attitude, but it's too difficult to change this behavior, or better said I have other priorities

I'll continue wandering from an exotic language to another, but I want to keep in mind that my strongest are English and Spanish. They need to be nurtured or I'll lose them

I leave plans to people who is able to commit.

I don't know how my current 6WC will evolve. For now, I've put Japanese in a corner and I've been tracking my English activities as a secondary language (this challenge is aimed for beginners). But in 6 weeks anything could happen

[rdearman]

Ciao. Non penso che tu sia B1 in inglese. Sei molto meglio.

[shandra]

Ciao. Non penso che tu sia B1 in inglese. Sei molto meglio.

Ciao Rick.
Grazie per le tue parole.

Sono ferma a un livello intermedio di conoscenza dell'inglese e ne sono infastidita.

In realtà questo stato di fatto dipende dalla mia scelta di potenziare le competenze passive, lettura e ascolto, e di lasciare vergognosamente indietro quelle attive perché non ho mai voluto creare occasioni per sfruttarle nella mia vita quotidiana.

Frequentando questo forum leggo di persone che cercano di migliorarsi e che ottengono risultati anche quando l'oggetto del loro studio è una lingua di cui sono disponibili poche risorse.

Io invece ho a disposizione tanto di quel materiale da potermi permettere di scegliere il più adatto al mio stile di apprendimento e non lo sfrutto. Mi biasimo da sola!

Non soffrirei di questa fase intermedia se almeno smettessi di riempire i post che scrivo di errori grammaticali.

Tu, invece, come va?
Ti senti ancora schiacciato dal peso di così tanti appuntamenti per lo scambio linguistico?
Ti sei caricato di un peso notevole, ma da quello che ho capito stai cercando di sfruttare del tempo che presto dovrai utilizzare diversamente. Hai tutto il mio incoraggiamento!

[rdearman]

Si, ho usato molto tempo con la scambio di lingua. A questo momento non e una problema per mi. Ho ridotto la numbero di loro. Per mi non ho molto risorse per italiano come tu hai per inglese. Ma perche non mi ho la disciplina per studia io ho problemi come scrittura e comprensione orale. Molto problema con la grammatica italiano anche. Per me lo scopo originale doveva parlare con gli italiani. Ora perche e possible per mi parlare, sono molto felice del mio livello.

I find it difficult to write in italian because of bad grammar and spelling mistakes! So, I'm very impressed with your English, and I think you are better than B1.