Learning Spanish
The We're Here! gang is learning languages today.
I've been studying Spanish since our first trip to Mexico to visit an online friend. Her family welcomed us with open arms, and we fell in love with them, and with their country. As soon as we returned to Canada, we enrolled in night school, taking all three levels at least twice, and seeing the same fellow students every time we re-enrolled.
Twenty or so years ago, I created a study group of six fellow students (now friends) who met for years at my place on Monday nights. We call ourselves Grupo Lunático. (I even designed a word mark and had coasters made...see comments.) When the pandemic hit, we simply shifted to twice weekly by Zoom. We still meet that way, as Zoom makes it easy to maintain twice weekly meetings without driving time or even the need to put shoes on.
We do grammar exercises, then take turns reading a page or so from whatever book we're working on, and translating it on the fly. We are currently reading "Caramelo" by Sandra Cisneros. Before that, we read another of her books, "La Casa en Mango Street". Before that, we read "Liberen a los Niños" by Craig Kielburger -- a Canadian boy who tackled child labour throughout the world.
I also look for theatre in Spanish. Not too long ago, Fred and I went to an evening of stand-up all in Spanish. Challenging!!!
I also like to watch telenovelas and various other programs in Spanish. On the TV in the photo is Luisito Comunica, Mexican youtuber who goes all over the world, sharing his experiences with his viewers. This episode is on the food of Bolivia.
On my laptop is my tutor Luis, who runs "La Hacienda" – a Spanish language school in Guanajuato, Mexico. I have been studying with him for years. Six or seven years? He is an absolute whiz at grammar, which I really appreciate. Our weekly Skype sessions are so helpful. On the table are a couple of books from Argentina and an advanced grammar book, which the Lunáticos have been through twice, chapter by chapter.
My other modes of practice include engaging any Spanish speaker I hear on the bus or on the street. I'll often get into great conversations, and these random episodes sometimes result in friendships. One woman I met on the Seabus (a little ferry that's part of our transit system) invited us to dinner with her family in November. It was delightful! They will be coming here for dinner in February. Who says "don't talk to strangers"!!!
I used to blog in Spanish, but stopped after a few years, as I got busy at work. Perhaps I'll revive the blog, now that I'm retired.
Learning Spanish
The We're Here! gang is learning languages today.
I've been studying Spanish since our first trip to Mexico to visit an online friend. Her family welcomed us with open arms, and we fell in love with them, and with their country. As soon as we returned to Canada, we enrolled in night school, taking all three levels at least twice, and seeing the same fellow students every time we re-enrolled.
Twenty or so years ago, I created a study group of six fellow students (now friends) who met for years at my place on Monday nights. We call ourselves Grupo Lunático. (I even designed a word mark and had coasters made...see comments.) When the pandemic hit, we simply shifted to twice weekly by Zoom. We still meet that way, as Zoom makes it easy to maintain twice weekly meetings without driving time or even the need to put shoes on.
We do grammar exercises, then take turns reading a page or so from whatever book we're working on, and translating it on the fly. We are currently reading "Caramelo" by Sandra Cisneros. Before that, we read another of her books, "La Casa en Mango Street". Before that, we read "Liberen a los Niños" by Craig Kielburger -- a Canadian boy who tackled child labour throughout the world.
I also look for theatre in Spanish. Not too long ago, Fred and I went to an evening of stand-up all in Spanish. Challenging!!!
I also like to watch telenovelas and various other programs in Spanish. On the TV in the photo is Luisito Comunica, Mexican youtuber who goes all over the world, sharing his experiences with his viewers. This episode is on the food of Bolivia.
On my laptop is my tutor Luis, who runs "La Hacienda" – a Spanish language school in Guanajuato, Mexico. I have been studying with him for years. Six or seven years? He is an absolute whiz at grammar, which I really appreciate. Our weekly Skype sessions are so helpful. On the table are a couple of books from Argentina and an advanced grammar book, which the Lunáticos have been through twice, chapter by chapter.
My other modes of practice include engaging any Spanish speaker I hear on the bus or on the street. I'll often get into great conversations, and these random episodes sometimes result in friendships. One woman I met on the Seabus (a little ferry that's part of our transit system) invited us to dinner with her family in November. It was delightful! They will be coming here for dinner in February. Who says "don't talk to strangers"!!!
I used to blog in Spanish, but stopped after a few years, as I got busy at work. Perhaps I'll revive the blog, now that I'm retired.