A(nother) Spanish Log - Transition from Intermediate to Advanced

[the1whoknocks]

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'Weekly' Update
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More than a month since my last update – that’s crazy.

A golden opportunity came my way and I couldn’t help but drop everything and pursue it. Everything went well, and I’ll be starting in a new position, in a new city, next Monday. I received their training material and was pleased to see that they had copies of everything in Spanish which, I am told, are used frequently. Also, I’ll have two Hispanic peers I’m hoping to convert into my next victims – their English seemed practically flawless. Looks like I'll be able to use my Spanish on the job here too!

Spanish was intentionally set on the backburner for the last few weeks. Except for the random episode, conversation or book page and TV time, nothing has been done in that arena.

The good news is that I got to visit Austin, Texas and had a great time. Beyond the whole young vibe, and array of things to do, what I liked most about Austin is how integrated everything seemed – I was able to interact with people from many countries and backgrounds and it was not hard to do. Had it not been for the music and patrons doing the salsa across the dancefloor, I would not have been able to tell I was in a latino (?) dance club. Also, it’s possible that I was just sheltered, but I did not have one bad thing to eat during my stay in the city – and I’m picky!

Walk a few minutes and you’re by the river or in a park. Drive a while and you’re hitting the bike trails, canoeing, rock-climbing or some other outdoor activity. I can see myself living there. A nice mix of the city and country life. Something needs to be done about that rent though … that’s crazy!

One thing I did like is that I had no problem just going up to people and speaking Spanish. I can’t say I didn’t make mistakes but it was a very comfortable experience. Impressing someone who hadn’t seen me in 3 years too with my Spanish - that was nice.
Anyway, I’ll be in the process of preparing to begin my new job this week. While I’ll probably be working to get into a new Spanish routine the basic plan is the same. I should be able to get back to reading and continue with my weekly tutoring session this week. No changes planned, just getting back to it.

During our session last week we continued working on what I would need to pass the DELE C1. I’m essentially writing an article and making mini-presentations keeping in mind what is expected from someone hoping to pass the C1. I’m not sure if it because it’s been a while, but my struggle with por y para made a surprise visit during our session. There were other things, but that stood out.
I finished season 3 of Club de Cuervos – I like that show. I’ll have to continue down the Netflix queue.

Well, that’s it for now. It is great to be re-focusing on Spanish.

[the1whoknocks]

“The best you will be discovered far outside your comfort zone”

A friend of mine left me with those words before I left for Austin. They've been ringing in my head periodically ever since. Timely advice as I've been FAR outside my comfort zone for almost two months now. I'm sure he got that from someone else but I have not be able to figure out who.

Life has been great to me but moving and starting over in an unfamiliar city has been riddled with more challenges than I had anticipated. Little things like finding the right barber suddenly become a chore and urgent task

I'm still adjusting to my new life and I've decided to accept that and be patient with the transition: professionally, personally and socially.

Needless to say, I've been off my Spanish game for a while. The good thing is that I'm actually using the language much more now and that is serving as encouragement, and a constant reminder, to improve it. I've never had Spanish speaking peers (always worked above or below me) and I'm enjoying being able to chat about different things with them.

I've enjoyed hour long conversations with a few associates and I am so grateful for having decided to learn Spanish - my life would not be the same without it. I was actually surprised at how fluid my speech was considering I hadn't really worked on Spanish in a while. My vocabulary has taken a hit but I am actually more fluid. Everyone says I'm doing fine but I'm grasping for words that were on the tip of my tongue early last year.

I'll be following the roadmap outlines a few posts ago: establish some habits and enjoy the process.

Being short on time has really made me think about which activities will give me the best bang for my buck. I'll be focusing on reading everyday. That's all. Beyond being the most effective thing for me right now, I'm just in the mood to read and spend some quiet time with my thoughts each day. A win-win.

2018 Wish List:

- Engage with the local Spanish speaking community in a meaningful way.

- Watch about the same amount of Spanish language programming that I did in 2017.

- Read more than I did in 2017

- Start averaging one italki lesson per week and integrate these with some kind of writing routine.

- Continue at my pace with the course completion challenge.

- Minimize time spent doing things I don't enjoy to improve my Spanish.

I'd like to write a bit more about my transition while it's still somewhat fresh in my mind. Although it’s not directly relevant to language learning it's always nice to look back and see where I was in life while continuing to work on the language. Another time though.

Task for this week? Find a book to read. Also considering whether I should get a Kindle or a tablet. Moving has made me realize I don't like to get rid of books - I need to start collecting books in digital form because I'm not moving that many books again!

That's all for now. Happy 2018, everyone!

[the1whoknocks]

Well, looks like I'm finally back to regularly working with Spanish. I've been re-reading, “A veces se gana a veces se aprende” and reflecting a bit on life. Also reading, Líder de 360 grados by the same author … John Maxwell. I'm in Chicago this week for a development conference and reading these books is just a way to prime my mind for the week. Also nice to have arrived a few days early to meet and explore a bit.

I was sitting here browsing my news feed and realised I was going between English and Spanish pretty effortlessly. It wasn't until moments after that I had realised I was doing that. A nice feeling. Granted, I was mostly browsing headlines and light items but was a cool moment of Zen.

I'm integrating Spanish a bit more into my work. I get to flounder around in the language almost daily anyway, but everyone at work has been really supportive by allowing me Spanish speaking time - even those who speak perfect English. I've told the team that Living in Texas, I really want to be speaking better Spanish by the end of 2018. They've been very helpful to this end. I don't ask for corrections unless it's major and have been getting some pretty good feedback.

One of my peers is Cuban and is working on his English (almost flawless to my ears). I've been offering suggestions to his e-mails and I have been writing my end of day e-mails and anything directed towards him in Spanish. He offers suggestions and its been really helpful. Even better … it's forced me to learn how to phrase things more naturally in Spanish. Little things I'd probably rarely use in regular conversation but are useful to know, nonetheless.

We also have been speaking different language on alternating weeks ... This we we only communicate in Spanish and only in English during the following week. Our conversations are particularly useful because of the type of things we talk about that I would usually just relay in English were it with my "higher-ups".

Have not been taking Skype sessions. Might get back into it soon but plan to take advantage of reading, courses and all the people around me a bit more first. Also don't want to “study” Spanish as much this year … I want to just use and enjoy it more. I'm much busier this year and it's becoming my intellectual escape and way to connect with the world around me.

I have been browsing a few series on HBO Now and might pick one soon. After that, I'll consider adding a course to the mix. Reading more is the big thing for now though.

Yea, the approach to Spanish will be much more relaxed for the time being. The idea now is to build consistency and enjoy the process. It would be really nice to have knocked out 12 books in Spanish by year end … they say what gets measured gets managed so I might just set that as a goal this year.

Until next time.

[the1whoknocks]

It wasn't until I had gotten back home that I realized I had spent the last couple hours chatting away in a loud social setting, all the while changing between English and Spanish ... At a few points, I was even translating for my friend. I seemed a lot more impressive than I actually am and it felt great - those hours of listening and working with Spanish really are paying off. It's hard to put into words just how gratifying that experience was ... not that it happened, but that it was so effortless.

It's impressive what the mind holds onto passively. I realized recently also know, word by word, a lot of songs that I've studied or even looked up their lyrics. That made me accept that I really was improving back when doing all that listening, although it did not always seem that way. The best part was that it did not feel like a strain.

Naturally, it made me want to refocus on Spanish and continue to improve it. I understand the language fairly effortlessly, my active vocabulary, however, has been better. I'm surrounded by a greater variety of Spanish than I was before and I think they forget that it's not my first language. The Cuban and , Puerto Rican accents really tested my for a while but somewhere along the line it became audible. That, no doubt, has contributed to my improved listening comprehension (self judged).

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After reading my last post I would not even say that I'm back, just that Spanish continues to be part of my daily life. Although, the nature of my interaction with the language has changed for a while. I get to speak it every day and my music choices have stayed with me. Except for one series recently, I have not watched much TV at all; in Spanish or English.

I've started Sr. Avila. It's interesting and I'm going to keep watching it as time permits. A new friend also convinced me to watch all the Marvel movies and the great thing is that all the DVD's are dubbed in Spanish. I usually don't like dubbed things but I may give those DVD's a try since I am interested in the story.

The 2018 wish list is still on my mind, but for now I'm just enjoying living through the language. For the moment, I can do everything that I NEED to do in the language and I guess I've just been appreciating that without the added stress.

There have been a couple false starts but figured that I would at least fail forward with my attempts to improve

[the1whoknocks]

It's been a good week for Spanish.

I'm on episode 7 of Sr. Avila. I liked episode 6. I have conflicting feelings on the series but at times it really grabs my attention so I think I'll continue watching. Dexter is the series I have seen that is most comparable to Sr. Avila, but the two are still different.

I've started reading La fiesta del chivo by Mario Vargas Llosa. I have not read much yet but I like it. To my ears, Llosa has a very readable voice. Although, there are a number of words I've never seen, I'm able to pick up a lot from context. That will do for now. I don't plan to worry about definitions unless I pick up an e-reader (with accessible dictionary) or a word really bothers me. The recurring ones are probably the ones I should be focusing on anyway.

I watched the movie by the same title a few months ago. The ending was a bit weird so I did not mention it here. After watching a few documentaries about the dictator that this book is loosely about, it seemed understandable that the movie ended the way it did. I'd link to it here but it seems the movie has since been removed from YouTube.

I picked up the book by chance but the movie was suggested to me by an old exchange partner who happens to be from the Dominican Republic where the story is based. … it's been months since we've spoken but we still keep in contact. It's funny that my best exchange partners also ended up being people I'd consider friends.

Oh, and I flirted a bit with another unit of FSI Spanish; unit 25, I think. I find it much easier to use now that I am familiar with Spanish. I can now see myself finishing it.

The plan for next week? Maintain the momentum (and see what happens with FSI).

[the1whoknocks]

Today I'm compelled to capture a screenshot of my relationship with Spanish. A status report, of sorts. My weekly updates have become quarterly, so this one is about due. It will probably just be a collection of random thoughts … maybe contradictory. Who knows?

Something I've been saying for years felt like a lie after repeating it yesterday. I was caught engaged in conversation in Spanish by a coworker. She expressed surprise that I “spoke” Spanish and asked if I really knew and understood what was being said, or if it was hard. She is from China and is learning English, so it a natural question. My response for similar inquiries has always been the same. I told her that I really don't speak Spanish and that I know a little bit, but am still learning.

Yesterday, for some reason, I felt like I needed to offer a different response. I mean, she did catch us during a flowing conversation and I don't remember struggling to express myself or understanding what was being said.

These four years have passed so quickly I guess my comfort in the language changed without me noticing. Some things are routine and just don't seem impressive anymore. Things that were a struggle, suddenly, aren't. Well, so it seems, at least.

I converse in Spanish, hang out with Spanish speaking friends, and join impromptu meetings in Spanish, offer delicate and off the cuff performance feedback in Spanish. No big deal … nothing to report here. That's part of why I don't really push to update here anymore.

I still speak with my exchange partners regularly, but not for the purpose of practicing. We don't consider it practice, we're just chatting and exchanging ideas on life. We communicate mostly through whatsapp and some weeks we communicate daily. Nothing unusual.

I can read for the most part, and found myself listening to a news story the other day for a least a few minutes before really realizing it was in Spanish. Not the first time it's happened, but happens more frequently now where my mind just absorbs the information without focusing so much on which language it is … the language is more of an afterthought. It's an odd station in Austin that has both English and Spanish content playing … all just mixed together. Kinda cool.

Still, Improvement continues to be slow, and maybe steady, at best. Although, definitely mostly passive in nature. I was out and showing off that I knew all the words to, “A dios le pido” by Juanes. It always a great conversation starter when out and about as it’s the first song I remember intentionally learning in Spanish. The words stick with me even today.

More interesting is that I knew most songs that were being played in the restaurant that night … Most I had never studied, just heard them repeatedly over the years. I'll find myself saying little things I know I had not studied but it perfectly natural Spanish. Mostly in terms of comfort and fluidity. My Spanish isn't complemented anymore, and most people who think I know Spanish don't even bother to use English.

Anything I've learned this year is mostly thanks to mimicry, hearing or listening to something that piqued interest or osmosis.

…..

These past 12 months have been a rush. I can hardly even believe it's been that long. That rush fueled a change in priorities and perspective. My focus on studying Spanish has been sporadic at best. I'd actually consider this year a loss as far as formal study goes. Maslow's hierarchy of needs may have had a part to play in that.

A move that I was certain was right left me feeling, initially, as if I had made a grave error and was in way over my head. It felt scary for a while. Truth is, it was a growing process, the move was an excellent choice and I had some growing to do as a man. I'm grateful to know people who are wiser, experienced, and of good will.

I'm in a position to learn so much and my only desire is to keep learning, impacting and to never be comfortable. Maybe my friend was right and the greatest me is being discovered outside my comfort zone.

Formal learning has been nonexistent. Maybe because I can do everything I need to do and have not felt the impetus to drive improvement. Long term I want to improve, but have not given serious thought on how to approach that. For now, I think I'll just keep using it.

What kept me going was a combination of stubbornness, mental challenge and a need to express myself in ways that I could not. I tell myself that I am busier now than I was. … That can't be true. I never really had much free time, I just spent it differently. I guess the biggest thing is that I can do what I want to in the language and so I don't feel that I'm losing much by investing time elsewhere, for now.

Am I B1 or B2? For the first time since studying Spanish … It doesn't bother me much. I let my Netflix subscription expire but am reading a lot of positive reviews. I'll probably end up re-subscribing before too long.

[SGP]

What kept me going was a combination of stubbornness, mental challenge and a need to express myself in ways that I could not. I tell myself that I am busier now than I was. … That can't be true. I never really had much free time, I just spent it differently. I guess the biggest thing is that I can do what I want to in the language and so I don't feel that I'm losing much by investing time elsewhere, for now.

Am I B1 or B2? For the first time since studying Spanish … It doesn't bother me much. I let my Netflix subscription expire but am reading a lot of positive reviews. I'll probably end up re-subscribing before too long.

Do you feel like elaborating a bit on the "stubbornness" part that you mentioned?

[the1whoknocks]

What kept me going was a combination of stubbornness, mental challenge and a need to express myself in ways that I could not. I tell myself that I am busier now than I was. … That can't be true. I never really had much free time, I just spent it differently. I guess the biggest thing is that I can do what I want to in the language and so I don't feel that I'm losing much by investing time elsewhere, for now.

Am I B1 or B2? For the first time since studying Spanish … It doesn't bother me much. I let my Netflix subscription expire but am reading a lot of positive reviews. I'll probably end up re-subscribing before too long.

Do you feel like elaborating a bit on the "stubbornness" part that you mentioned?

I'm apologize for the late response, SGP. Although, "late" is definitely an understatement here.

By "stubborness" I really just meant that I like to see things through; some may consider that perseverance but in my case I just really dont like to lose or feel like I was defeated by a situation. A psychologist might have fun with that statement haha.

I didn't always take time to enjoy the process back then and in some ways made the process harder than it had to be. Staying with it allowed me to get to a point where I could really enjoy learning Spanish though reading and tv programs that actually interested me.

Learning Spanish is felt any other hobby I've tackled so far in the sense that my effort seemed really fruitless sometimes. I mean, was I really going to improve or become more fluent? Am I really an intermediate speaker? Is my learning strategy really effective, maybe I should try something else.

Just a lot of question would creep up, at time, that could have left me to invest time elsewhere - as someone who appreciates certainty and efficiency, I found a certain level of stubbornness (or insistence to see the process through) was helpful during my growing stages.

I'm happy it worked out because the process has been immensely rewarding and actually fun. I just had to relax a little and invest the time.

[the1whoknocks]

So what's new? Well, for one, I'm already over the 2020 vision jokes

Spanish has improved mostly though useage and what media I continue to consume; mostly vocabulary here and there. I don't remember watching much tv of any sort in 2019 but have read a few books. Spanish at work continues to be a daily occurence and I continue to speak it almost exclusively with a few friends here - was drafted into a group one weekend and it pretty much became a thing from what I remember.

Booked my first trip to a Latin American country last week. First stop: Colombia! I'll be visiting with a small group of friends. Later in the year there are plans to visit Mexico - maybe Puerto Vallarta.

I feel comfortable with my ability to handle myself in both countries, especially with friends there.

To improve I'll just see where my curiosity takes me. So far, it's towards starting the last two seasons of Club de cuervos that I'm yet to see. I might start reading online material from both countries to get a general idea of what's trending there - haven't watched much news of any sort lately.

Oh, and I've been taking official bachata lessons for a while now much to the entertainment of bystanders. I'm proud to say that has really helped expand my social circle and is actually pretty darn fun ... well, at least for me.

Well, more to come as it happens. I can see myself posting updates at least once a month this year ... I think that's doable.

Ok, first and probably the last vision joke.