Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants
aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log

Postby aledda » Sun Jun 17, 2018 7:05 pm

My laptop failed a second time, three days after having it back at home, then it spent a week in the technical service place again. I tried to update and read/lurk the forum from work and my phone, but it's not the same as having the comfort of doing it with a real keyboard without rushing at home.

Anyway, I'm here again, and I have many things to write about!

First of all I finished the 6WC (thanks to having a backup spreadsheet at work, I could tweet everything during the last days of the challenge). I didn't know what to expect during the challenge since it was my first 6WC, but it was an amazing experience! I learned a lot, not only about Korean itself, but also about how I learn and what works for me. I think I mentioned before, Korean is the first language I tried to "teach myself", and when I started I didn't know exactly how to learn a language so different by myself. I did a lot of things, but at the end I wasn't consistent with it. When I signed up for the challenge, I wanted to have an excuse to start studying Korean again, in part to do another language besides Japanese, but also because I consider Korean as an "asignatura pendiente" as we say in Spanish (= "pending subject/unfinished matter"). As a "false beginner", I tried to refresh concepts from the beginning (even things that I already knew as hangul), and that allowed me to build a more solid foundation for the language. That and having more vocabulary now than before, helped me understand better other grammar points. Even when during those 6 weeks I spent more time studying Japanese than Korean, I think I made a huge improvement. I wish I could still learn Korean daily (or at least X times a week), but I think it's going to be hard since I want to make the JLPT N3 my main focus for the year. BUT, if/when I join a new 6WC, my goal will be to focus on Korean during those weeks, which means at least 50% of the time spent on languages during those weeks, will be for Korean (I still need to update my times for this challenge so you can see why I stress this so much).

Will I join the 6WC that starts in August? I don't know yet, because if I'm not mistaken, that challenge will start on August 1st and will end on September 11th, and I have plans to be traveling to Europe again between August 24th and September 17th. And during those 3 weeks all the free time I'll have after sightseeing, taking hundreds of pictures, eating local food and buying souvenirs for my family, it's going to be for Japanese :lol:

So yeah, the second thing I wanted to tell is that in a couple of months I'm going to Europe again! YAY! My plan is to go to Greece*, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Croatia*, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. (*countries I've already visited)
I wish I had more days off at work (and more money of course) so I can travel more. But I do not complain, since I know that I am lucky to be able to make trips like this quite often. And I'm already trying to fight against with my wanderlust, because I already feel that going to Romania will make me want to learn Romanian too.

Third, the World Cup is making me study less, since I'm watching all the matches I can when I'm not working (or during lunch break at work). The matches in which Uruguay plays were/are scheduled for morning/noon on week days, so I'm working... but that doesn't stop me to watch them at work with all my colleagues and our bosses like we did on Friday. Thank God the WC only lasts a month, because during this time my life is reduced to work and fútbol (I don't like calling it 'soccer' at all)... If it lasted longer, I do not know what would be of my life.
7 x
Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

Cavesa
Black Belt - 4th Dan
Posts: 4960
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:46 am
Languages: Czech (N), French (C2) English (C1), Italian (C1), Spanish, German (C1)
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Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby Cavesa » Sun Jun 17, 2018 8:26 pm

Congratulations!!!
0 x

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

Re: Aledda's Log

Postby aledda » Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:43 pm

I had the intention of updating before, but as usual life happened.

Short summary of what has been going on since my last post:

During July, I decided that I was not ready to take the N3 in December because I didn't study as much as I had planned and I'm going on a 3-week trip this month (which means that I'm going to "lose" a month of study time). However, last week I thought about it, and I started filling out the registration form to take it. I know I still have a lot to study and to prepare, but I need "concrete" goals to maintain the motivation to study. And having paid the registration fee, it may be the push I need to do my best to prepare the exam from mid-September to December 2nd :lol: .

Thanks to the World Cup, more precisely to a "penca" (which in Uruguay is like a sports bet and has nothing to do with other meanings it has in other Spanish-speaking countries), I won a week-long English course in the United Kingdom. For a moment I was surprised that my forecasts were the best among so many participants, and happy to have an excuse to go to the UK again, even if that means to attend an English course (which I do not need that much). But... ("there is always a but in this imperfect world!"), the institute that organized the "penca", only pays the course and not the plane ticket or the stay in the UK. That means that the second prize (a quarter of a free language course) was better than the first prize (a week-long course that forces the winner to pay thousands of dollars to be able to assist) :roll: .

I was a little mad about that, but if I have to pay for a ticket (expensive as heck from Uruguay) plus the stay, I would spend as much time as possible traveling and visiting different places instead of being locked up in a class. And as I said before, in a little more than 2 weeks I'm going to be stepping on European territory (?), so I don't need that excuse.

For now I am trying to study as much Japanese as possible while I make all the preparations for the trip. I hope to write again before my departure, if not, I'll be back in September!
2 x
Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

User avatar
eido
Blue Belt
Posts: 841
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2018 8:31 pm
Languages: English (N), Spanish (C1)
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Re: Aledda's Log (2017 - )

Postby eido » Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:21 pm

You're back~ Yay. I hope you have fun on your trips. Study hard :)
1 x

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

JLPT N3 - The day after

Postby aledda » Mon Dec 03, 2018 8:21 pm

I was 95% sure that I had posted here after I came back from my trip in September, but I guess I didn't. (I think I have the draft of my post somewhere, so I could re-post it later)

I enjoyed the trip a lot, but when I resumed my routine, it wasn't long until I felt burned out, it wasn't just one thing that made me feel that way. I wasn't motivated to do a lot of things: work, studying, everyday chores, etc... including being around here in the forum. In October I barely did anything language study, only in November I could start "pushing myself" a little, in order to be ready for the N3 that I took yesterday.

I didn't feel ready, and of course I wasn't ready for the exam. Last week I was so stressed (for the exam and some deadline at work) that I had headaches, back and neck pain all week. Until, on Saturday, I realized that if I couldn't pass the exam, I could take it again next year. I thing I forgot that nobody asked me or forced me to take the exam, so even if I fail the exam, it's not a big deal... just a little disappointment.

I like the language, and I like learning it, but I don't want to go through that again for an exam. I think I reached a stage with Japanese, in which I need to adjust my expectations and goals, and what I do in order to learn it so I can enjoy it. I know I still need to use textbooks to learn grammar points or to use SRS to review vocabulary and kanjis... but I don't want to feel japanese as a "burden".

Anyway, I'm going to spend some days relaxing and thinking about what to do next with Japanese (and other languages that I want to learn)... For now the only thing I know for sure is that until the end of January I don't have to worry about the exam again :lol:
5 x
Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.

aledda
Yellow Belt
Posts: 67
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:26 pm
Location: Uruguay
Languages: Español (N)
English (C2), Português (C2)

Studying now: 日本語 (N4->N3), 한국어 (beginner)

Dabbling: Italiano (beginner), Deutsch (beginner)

On the waiting list: 普通话 (~A1)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=5561
x 141

JLPT N3

Postby aledda » Thu Jan 24, 2019 6:17 pm

I don't know how it happened but I passed the N3 exam. :o And I did better on the reading and listening sections (my "weakest" sections) than on the grammar and vocabulary... I really don't get it :lol:

Now I really don't know what I am going to do with Japanese... because my plan for this year was to re-take the N3 level...
5 x
Please, feel free to correct any mistakes.


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