Yesterday was my second volunteer shift at an Official NYC Information Center. This gig is turning out to be one of the best ideas I’ve had in a long time. Unlike last week, where I got to work…
I have been feeling I need more language practice, so I decided it would be a good idea to volunteer at one of the tourist information centers I’ve noticed around New York City. For Help with Helicopters, Bagels, Broadway…
Yesterday, six days after starting Dutch, I ventured out to an NLBorrels gathering at an Irish bar in midtown Manhattan. I Completely Forgot to Take Pictures, So All I Have to Offer Is a Picture of My Dutch…
I have to admit, earlier this week I had kind of stalled on the fifth Pimsleur lesson for Dutch. I was not finding this particular half-hour lesson easy. Not at all. I redid it several times, committing some of…
I have an unread book on my shelves, Russell Shorto’s The Island at the Center of the World, published in 2004. The book’s subtitle is “The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan & the Forgotten Colony That…
I found it extremely difficult to get through Michael Erard’s new book, Babel No More: The Search for the World’s Most Extraordinary Language Learners. And I mean that as the highest form of praise. Michael Erard’…
I began studying Dutch two days ago, but I really wanted to squeeze in one more Hebrew-related activity before moving on. So yesterday I decided to go walk around Borough Park, a neighborhood in southwestern Brooklyn. I am nearly positive…
On Wednesday I visited a first-year Hebrew class at Columbia University. I arranged this visit with Dr. Rina Kreitman, who is the Hebrew program coordinator for the department of MESAAS. Entrance, Columbia University MESAAS? I had to turn to Google…
It has been 29 days since my last blog entry and I have…studied. Multilingual Coffee at Aroma I really have, and every day. I just didn’t happen to blog about it, because life intruded, and while I love writing…
On January 1, I realized I forgot to get a flu shot this year. The reason I remembered on January 1 is that I came down with the flu. At first I thought it was food poisoning, but its persistence, and some…
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