I never thought I would write these words, but I am getting a little sick of Spanish grammar exercises. I decided I needed some variety in my language-learning life, so this afternoon I went and bought myself a copy of…
I bought the local Spanish-language newspaper, El Diario, again today. I started to read it. But there was a problem. My eyes were killing me. My vision has really declined since the start of this project—too much squinting at…
This afternoon I did some grammar exercises, but my eyes were still bothering me, so I had to stop after less than an hour. I switched to reading El Diario, which I thought might be less straining, but after about…
Today I passed by John Jay College of Criminal Justice, at 59th and 10th, where I taught for several years in the early 1990s. I was an adjunct there, a part-time instructor in the English department, as well as…
To my great relief (and comfort), I can see properly again. My eye doctor saw me two days early, on Monday, and gave me a new vision prescription. Now studying is a million times easier, not to mention actually…
I have mostly abandoned the grammar books. Not entirely, but the focus of my Spanish work in the past week has been studying flashcards, watching Spanish-language television, and reading El Diario, the Spanish-language newspaper here. Most of my news these…
It is not the easiest thing in the world to get people to talk to me in Spanish. I find a huge range in willingness of Spanish speakers to speak Spanish to me without reverting promptly to English. There…
I went to another 5K race last night, this time in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Normally I wouldn’t race two nights in a row, but I love this particular summer series, so I went anyway. On…
Today was my second-to-last day studying Spanish, so I decided it was time for another visit to Washington Heights, which has a large Hispanic population, particularly Dominican. The intended route: Broadway from 155th Street to Dyckman Street, roughly two…
Here is my (highly personal) theory of language acquisition. Many people seem to go through the following three phases as they learn a foreign language: Phase 1. Insecurity Phase 2. Complacency Phase 3. Insecurity The first phase is characterized by uncertainty and discomfort…
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