No Manches - 2019 Spanish log

[NoManches]

I was going to stick with my old log but decided that I'll start a new one for 2019. I really like the idea of starting fresh and giving myself some new goals and resolutions for the new year. I also like the idea of being more organized and simplistic in 2019.

Goals for the new year will include:

-Completing the "2019 - 365 day language challenge":

https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =21&t=9829

As part of my 30 minutes of daily Spanish study, I plan on starting a new habit of reading the news each morning in Spanish (using the Google noticias app). Each morning I get 5 recommended articles from different news sources. This seems like a good way of starting off my morning and depending on the length of the articles, will make up a decent chunk of my "30 minute minimum" for each day. Of course, for me 30 minutes daily is not enough....so I'll have other goals for each day.

For example, I plan to get more serious with my listening habits. I'd like to go through my subscribed podcasts and limit my options to the ones I really care about (aka delete a bunch of the ones I just don't have time for). Instead of having 100's of options that I can't decide between, I'd like to have 10-15 that are my "go to's" and "must listen to's". Listening to the same podcasts daily is something I've benefited from and would like to continue doing.

In the New Year I look forward to crushing the double super challenge. I have ~9,360 minutes of television to watch (about 156 hours) and around 6,735 pages to read. I can easily crush this goal if I make reading and television studies the main source of my Spanish input.

I plan on keeping up with my language exchanges on Skype. 1.5 hours each week is my goal but I won't cry if I don't always get that much speaking practice in. Ideally I'd be speaking for many hours (not just 1.5), but I'm a busy man and I'll take what I can get.

I have a few Spanish grammar books/grammar work books that I would like to complete, once and for all.

I'd like to spend a lot more time on improving my writing skills.

In 2018 I started to get really big into running but kind of stopped. I was having a great time getting in shape while listening to Spanish podcasts each morning. Running while listening to Spanish is probably THE best way to start my mornings (obviously with some coffee afterwards ). I'd like to create some ritual where I run in the morning while listening to podcasts. Then I come home and read the news in Spanish while drinking coffee. TV series/movies would be saved for when I have time during the day/evening. Reading novels would be reserved before I sleep at night.

And as a final goal: I'd like to take the DELE C1 exam.


I have lots of goals and resolutions for 2019 but I'm dedicated and pretty motivated so I'm really looking forward to making 2019 the best year I've ever had in terms of improving my Spanish.

Good luck to everyone!

[NoManches]

Books:
Los Crímenes Azules por Enrique Laso ✓
: 375 / 375 ~375 pages
Los Cadáveres no Sueñan
: 400 / 400 ~400 pages✓
Libélulas Azules (Volume 3)✓
: 375 / 375 ~375 pages

TV Shows:
Fugitiva
: 9 / 9 ~450 minutes ✓
La Casa de Papel Temporada 1
: 13 / 13 ~585 minutes ✓
La Casa de Papel Temporada 2
: 9 / 9 ~360 minutes ✓
La Casa de Papel Temporada 3
: 9 / 9 ~320 minutes ✓
Élite
: 8 / 8 ~360 minutes ✓

Movies:
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Spanish dub) ✓
: 120 / 120 ~120 minutes
Roma
: 0 / 120 ~120 minutes

Podcast Series:
Le llamaban padre
: 7 / 7 ~120 minutes
El Gran Apagón
: 11 / 24 ~600 minutes

[NoManches]

This year I'd like to keep better track of what I did each week to improve my Spanish. I can't promise that I'll update this log at the same time every week, or that I'll even do it weekly, but I will try to at least make sure every week of study is covered.

January 1 - January 5

I spent most of this time traveling and visiting family. Sitting down and watching a telenovela is kind of hard to do in front of your monolingual, English speaking, family. For this reason, I was limited to reading the news in Spanish almost every morning. I have also been reading the book:

Los Crímenes Azules by Enrique Laso

This book is a must read for anybody into mystery/detective books. I'll write a review on it when I am done. I have been reading relatively effortlessly, but noticed that between completing 50%-85% of the book (since I read on a Kindle I use book percentage to keep track of progress), I have started to miss a lot of details and have been reading while not actually comprehending. This has nothing to do with comprehension, and has everything to do with what I call ZOMBIE READING. Basically, I have a habit of being half asleep and reading dozens of pages before I fall asleep. The next morning I can't even remember what I read. For this reason, I have decided to start the book all over again. I'm currently 10-15% in and picking up on details that I missed out on before. This time around I'm making a conscious effort to highlight (using my Kindle) the names of important characters and important parts of the book. This makes for easy referencing later down the road and helps improve comprehension (doesn't matter if you are reading it in your L1 or L2, keeping track of characters and important events is always a good idea).

I am currently watching Fugitiva on Netflix and really like it. I also started to watch (but haven't finished yet) the movie Roma. I'd like to finish Roma this week and finish Fugitiva in the upcoming week or two. I keep seeing La Querida del Centauro on Netflix. I watched maybe 30 episodes of it before but never finished. It has good reviews and it looks like they are making a second season, so I'd like to give that show another watch.

For podcasts I have been listening to a new show from Podium Podcast titled: Le llamaban padre. This is really good although a little disturbing. I will write a review on it when I've finished.

Next week I plan on jumping back into my language exchanges and working on some of my grammar books. I have been running this week but didn't have the opportunity to listen to any podcasts. I'd like to listen to some podcasts/audiobooks in Spanish while running. I think I will get back into this old habit this evening or later in the week.

That is all for now. Thanks for reading and good luck with whatever goals you have in 2019!


*Edit*

I almost forgot that I wanted to mention a few things about my productivity in the new year. there is a new configuration on my phone where I can look at how many applications I have used and how much time I have spent using them. I also have the ability to limit how long I can use each application each day. Limiting my time on the internet, checking email, and doing things that I consider to be pointless has already resulted in me spending more time doing things in Spanish and otherwise being productive.

I mentioned before that I wanted to look through my podcasts and get rid of a bunch of the ones I never listen to and that only distract me. Doing so has already allowed me to focus in on a few podcast series that I can listen to when I want to devote some serious time to intensive listening. Instead of turning on random podcasts throughout the day, having a few that I am really into and can follow for a long time is key. I try to keep the good ones for when I am really focused and I like to listen to them at least twice. When I am driving around, running, working, or doing other things that require me to think, I like to listen to the ones that are more random such as talk radio shows with different daily guests....you know ...the ones that don't require you to be paying 100% of your attention.

And finally I would like to add that the 365-day language challenge is going well and has already forced me to find some extra time in my day to read something in Spanish rather than wasting my time away in English.

[Cavesa]

I love your log, as usual. Have a great year 2019! And thanks in advance for all the tv series tips. I am also looking forward to reading about your DELE, count me among your most zealous fans! You're gonna rock!

[NoManches]

This has nothing to do with comprehension, and has everything to do with what I call ZOMBIE READING. Basically, I have a habit of being half asleep and reading dozens of pages before I fall asleep. The next morning I can't even remember what I read.

I do this, but i call it 'book driving' - you know when you're driving on a motorway and sometimes you can zone out, and all of a sudden you don't remember the last 5 miles...

I'm guilty of doing that while driving as well

I love your log, as usual. Have a great year 2019! And thanks in advance for all the tv series tips. I am also looking forward to reading about your DELE, count me among your most zealous fans! You're gonna rock!

Thanks Cavesa...that means a lot coming from you! As a way of paying better attention while watching TV series and listening to podcasts, I'm thinking about writing up some really good reviews that I can share here in my log (and maybe in one of the Spanish groups). My idea is to write a summary of each show / podcast, including information about the location, characters, etc. Since I don't have access to podcasts with questions to answer (like my Spanish professors used to do for me), I was thinking that coming up with questions might be a similar way of making sure I pay attention and find the small but important details of each show. From there I would share my mini review/quiz on the forum for anybody who is interested. That is my idea at least....we shall see if time permits me to actually do this...even though I know it would do wonders for my comprehension.

[NoManches]

Exciting news!

I have registered to take the DELE C1 exam in November (at the Los Angeles location). My ideal date for the test would be in June or July, but those dates were not available for locations near me. I then decided I would take the test at the end of May, but was disappointed to learn that the test date for May had already filled up as well! I guess that was a bit of a relief for me, 4 months to prepare for the exam isn't enough in my opinion....at least based on my poor writing skills .

So November 23rd it is...and the pressure is on.

To prepare for the exam:

-I will be using the books: El Cronómetro B2 and El Cronómetro C1. I will also be using: Preparacion DELE C1 (although I have been told it is a bit out of date).

-My weekly conversation exchanges will continue, although I plan on finding some more conversation partners who are willing and able to speak on a set schedule every week. Ideally I would be having 3-4 hours of Spanish conversation each week. Until I find some more dedicated partners, I will continue with paid language lessons.

-Language lessons will continue (as I just mentioned). I really don't mind paying for lessons even though I'm definitely at the point where I could just do it on my own. Sometimes language partners aren't as committed, and they aren't as likely to point out your flaws, like an actual paid tutor is. I'm willing to keep paying for some online lessons since I don't have any other hobbies that cost a lot of money. I can always justify spending some money to improve my Spanish As the test date approaches, I will try to increase how many lessons I take each week (all depends on my budget though).

-I need to place a bigger emphasis on writing and on reading fiction (this was the biggest thing I took away from @s_allard's 6 part post about taking and passing the DELE C2 exam https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... php?t=7288)

Over the next 10-11 months I will be placing a bigger emphasis on "Spanish from Spain", reading more advanced materials, and improving my writing. Although the laid back approach to learning a foreign language is fun and care free, I perform best when there is a bit of pressure and a goal I have to work towards. If it wasn't for the DELE exam I now need to prepare for, I would just keep watching telenovelas and reading non-fiction...which I have nothing wrong with...but I want to do this as a personal challenge. I will keep everyone updated with my progress.

[MamaPata]

Exciting plans! I look forward to hearing how it goes!

[NoManches]

Today was a productive day in terms of Spanish. It was not a productive day in terms of all the other things I was supposed to take care of around the house


I started the morning off how I normally do: +/- 30 minutes of reading along with a few cups of coffee.

I finished the show Fugitiva. This was a 10 episode telenovela that I HIGHLY recommend. It had a great mix of Spanish from Mexico and Spanish from Spain. Tons of action, great characters (some of whom I have followed in other telenovelas), and overall the show was really addicting. I think I will write a better review later and post it in the Official Telenovela thread (with a link here, of course).


DELE Prep

I sat down and came up with a rough draft of my plan of attack for the DELE exam. I think my best bet right now is to make my preparation books my main source of study. Each book has different "mock exams" and each exam has different "pruebas", just like the exam. I plan on completing the entire exam during a 7-10 day period. When I do each "prueba" I will sit down without distractions, and try to complete it as if I were really taking the exam. Ultimately I would like to complete each "prueba" multiple times so I can really get the most out of the book. As the test date approaches, I will set up some "mock exams" where I try my best to replicate an entire exam. I think developing my mental endurance will be important for this kind of test, but right now I don't have the time to spend 5 hours pretending that I'm taking a real exam.

Today I completed "Prueba 2" of examen 1 from the book Preparación al Diploma de Español Nivel C1. This book is based on the old exam, and each exam has 4 pruebas. Prueba 2 is all about listening comprehension...something I have struggled with for a long time, but have recently seen some very big improvements in. I was less than satisfied with my results, especially since I really did understand what was going on during each audio section. The questions are really tough, and the options you choose from are all very similar...you just have to pick "the best right answer", if that makes any sense. In some cases I understood everything...except for the time they mentioned the answer to the question at the end of the prueba . I still need to figure out if I am allowed to answer the questions while listening, or if I am even allowed to read the question before I listen to the audio. I did not do this because I was not sure if it is allowed on the exam. This test definitely seems like the kind you need to study for....I think a native speaker might struggle with it if they don't have experience with test taking.

The one portion I did horrible on had to do with Spanish (from Spain) idioms. Holy crap this was tough....I got 4/10 right in this section...and a few of my correct answers were from "educated guesses". I am SO glad this portion isn't on the test anymore (at least that's what I've been told). If these were Mexican expressions I probably would have gotten them all correct. Oh well. I think it will be fun to study the expressions and will probably help me in the near future, since I plan on exposing myself to more "Spanish from Spain" as I like to call it.

I also spent 1.5 hours on Skype practicing Spanish. I found a new language partner from northern Spain so I'm looking forward to more talks with him.

That is all I have to report for today. I will be very busy with work for the next week or two, so I will be spending a lot of time passively listening to podcasts. I hope to finish the rest of Examen 1 by next Thursday. Later in the week I will sit down and start adding unknown words to Anki.

[NoManches]

Hmmm....let me try this in Spanish

Generalmente prefiero escribir en inglés porque odio escribir en español, y es más rápido. ¿Porqué odio escribir en español? La razón es que puedo hablar perfectamente bien sobre casi cualquier tema (casi), pero cuando se trata de escribir mis fallas son muy obvias. La verdad es que tengo más miedo de la sección de escritura en el examen DELE que los otros secciones combinadas. Pero, con 10 meses para prepararme, creo que puedo mejorar bastante.

La semana pasada fue muy productiva en términos de mi español. Hasta ahora, he estudiado español 16 días seguidos. Todavía el "365 day language challenge" ha sido un gran éxito para mi. De hecho, es increíblemente fácil leer 30 minutos diariamente al despertarme.

Desde mi ultimo post en este foro:

Terminé el libro "Los Crímenes Azules", y tengo que admitir, hasta ahora es el mejor libro que he leído en español....¡en serio! Esta mañana empecé "Los Cadáveres no Sueñan". Es el segundo libro de la trilogía, y hasta ahora es buenísimo. Te lo recomiendo si te gustan los libros del género misterio y/o crímenes.

Hace unos días terminé el programa "Fugitiva", y todo el tiempo estaba enganchado. Anoche empecé "La Casa de Papel" y me encanta. Me decidí buscar por "La Casa de Papel" en iVoox para ver si hubieran unos podcasts sobre el programa. Lo que encontré era como un billete de lotería, porque se trata de el audio de cada episodio del programa. Descargué todos y escuché el primer episodio esta mañana mientras corría con mi perra. Pienso en ver cada episodio y escuchar cada episodio también, para reforzar comprensión auditiva.

Además de lo que mencioné, esta semana he pasado varios horas estudiando la gramática y haciendo unos ejercicios de escritura y comprensión. También, he tenido dos horas de conversación por Skype.

¡suerte!

[NoManches]

January was a somewhat productive month. I only managed 9.5 hours of conversation practice (on Skype), and 4 hours of grammar study (I didn't start to keep track until the second week of January). In preparation of my exam I've come up with a few daily and weekly goals.

Daily goals:
-1 hour of pleasure reading each day.
-Study vocabulary with Anki.
-Fill all gaps with podcasts, make sure at least 20 minutes of my day is working somewhat intensively with a podcast.
-read 5 newspaper articles each day. At least 1 must be 1,000 words in length, and on an educational topic. Work intensively with article until 100% comprehension is achieved.

Note Reading newspaper articles is something I have never really done a lot of. Typically, I like to read online and usually read the "lifestyle" or "entertaining" articles that I find interesting. I came across this thread and want to thank Axon for posting it. With 9 months to prepare for my DELE exam, I think working with more difficult newspaper articles is something that will help me out a lot. Here is the thread for anybody interested:

https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =14&t=7622

Weekly goals include:
-Study grammar 3 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes.
-Log in at least 3 hours of conversation practice on Skype (most of this has been with tutors).
-Work through my DELE preparation books, which means I am doing the listening, reading, and writing sections of the book on my own each week. A tutor helps me with my writing, and another tutor helps me with the oral portions.
-Read 1 book each week (for this to happen, I need to get faster in reading in Spanish...but I think it is a good goal to aim for)


I finished Los Cadáveres No Sueñan by Enrique Laso, and have started the third book in the trilogy: Libélulas Azules

I finished the 4th episode of Casa de Papel. I really should spend more time watching this show, just because it's so good. I've made reading a priority over watching TV though, since I already spend a lot of time listening to podcasts.

I downloaded the scripts for El Ministerio del Tiempo. I plan on reading each script before watching the show, as an experiment. Last time I tried to watch the show my comprehension for Castilian Spanish wasn't too great....although it is a lot better now. I've sent the scripts to my Kindle so I can easily read them and use the pop up dictionary when I need to. It already seems like reading the scripts helps my comprehension during all the scenes when the actor mumbles or says something with a lot of background noise.

And on a final note, I have been 100% successful with the 365 day language challenge. Spanish is a big part of my life now, so its pretty hard to even go a day without using it in some way. Granted, I've had occasional breaks where I stop studying for a month or two...but I'm hoping this won't be the case in 2019.