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Spanish Log (TAC 2014 Team Lobo) | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| dbag Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5020 days ago 605 posts - 1046 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 185 of 271 12 April 2013 at 12:24am | IP Logged | ||
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This log is 2 years old today!!
I cant believe I've made it this far!. The journey so far has been amazing- in the time this log has been active I have spent 3 weeks in Spain and 7 weeks split between Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. I have met several amazing people who don't even speak English, which has completely changed the way I travel- while I would love to, and will go to Asia, I know that I will never be able to know it in the same way I can get to know Latin America. I cant wait to spend some significant time in South America- next time I go I want it to be for at least 6 months. I want to stay in one or two areas for quite a long time and really get to know some people well. After significant self analysis, I would rate my overall level as being somewhere between B1 and B2. The big breakthrough in the last few weeks has been my listening comprehension- I am now regularly (daily) indulging in native media purely because I am interested in the content, and not just because I am using it to learn. At one point I really didn't think this would ever be possible, now I realize that it is just a matter of putting the hours in. I think I am finally moving in the direction of B2. I feel like I should have more to say, but am in danger of waffling if I do. Well, I would say that embarking on this journey is probably one of the most worthwhile and life changing things I have ever done. If you are thinking about starting a language I would encourage you to just get stuck in and don't look back. Believe it or not, it is possible. You just need to be obsessed. Edited by dbag on 12 April 2013 at 12:24am 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| James29 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5373 days ago 1265 posts - 2113 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French | Message 186 of 271 12 April 2013 at 3:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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It is amazing how time flies. I can remember when you started your log. Wow. It seems like we have had very similar experiences with our Spanish journeys... although I am jealous that you get to spend longer stretches of time in Spanish speaking countries.
When will you go on your next trip? For long periods of time in South America I would suggest you take a look at Cuenca, Ecuador or Cusco, Peru. If you want a beach city I'd suggest Salinas, Ecuador. I spent about a week and a half in Cuenca and it was really great. The people are wonderful, it was very safe and it was very cheap. I hear Cuscu is similar. I was only in Salinas for a day and a half, but I really liked it. Beautiful beach, nice/fun atmosphere, safe and cheap. I am starting to plan a trip to Spain and I am seeing how much more expensive it will be. I don't really care because Spain just seems so awesome. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| iguanamon Pentaglot Senior Member Virgin Islands Speaks: Ladino Joined 5260 days ago 2241 posts - 6731 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Creole (French) | Message 187 of 271 12 April 2013 at 4:05pm | IP Logged | ||
Congratulations, dbag! It's a wonderful feeling when you realize that you are on the cusp of crossing a threshold. One of those lines is listening to content in a language because you want to not just for studying. You put in the hard work and now you are reaping the rewards. It is, indeed, possible. It's more probable when you are as dedicated as you have been. Keep up the good work! 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| dbag Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5020 days ago 605 posts - 1046 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 188 of 271 30 April 2013 at 11:32pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks guys!
@James29 Actually, my next big trip will probably be a quick visit to some Asian countries, hopefully during October and November, maybe even some of December, although I will want to spend Christmas at home as I will turn 30 on Boxing Day. I am hoping to visit countries like Laos, Vietnam etc., so the whole thing should be quite cheap. After that I will be focused on the big trip to South America, and if all goes to plan I will have a reasonably significant amount of money ring-fenced for that before I go to Asia- I have been pulling 50 / 60 hours at work lately trying to make this all happen- time will tell how long I can sustain that kind of effort. I am basically hoping to visit all of the Spanish speaking nations of South America with the exception of Venezuela. In theory I would also love to visit some of Brazil, but people tell me its gotten prohibitively expensive. I would also like to hit the big sites like Machu Pichu, Perrito Moreno, Iguazu, La Ciudad Perdida etc. etc. I hear that Cusco is nice, but some tell me that its over-run with spoilt English gap year kids. I met a good few in South America, especially Buenos Aires, and want to avoid them as much as possible. One place that has me really intrigued is the island of Chiloe,in the South of Chile. You rarely hear much about that place, but Chileans absolutely light up when you mention it. I will definitely go there for a while. @iguanomon Thanks for the advice about voice coaching a few weeks back. I couldn't find the thread again when I wanted to. At the moment I really don't know whether I want to concentrate on the accent of Spain or one of the Latin American nations. That's a really hard decision that might best be left for a while! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| dbag Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5020 days ago 605 posts - 1046 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 189 of 271 09 May 2013 at 9:41am | IP Logged | ||
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I have bought a copy of "La Reina del Sur" in its original Spanish, and will be making my way through it over the next few days, as I am not at work until next Tuesday. I am hoping that reading the book will help with comprehension of the Telenovela.
20 pages or so in and I can understand a lot, but it is much harder going than I expected. I won't be looking up new words for at least the fist couple of hundred pages or so. I am hoping that working through the novel fast will help drastically increase my reading speed. I will make notes here every 100 pages or so to try and track my progress. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| sfuqua Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 4763 days ago 581 posts - 977 votes Speaks: English*, Hawaiian, Tagalog Studies: Spanish | Message 190 of 271 09 May 2013 at 4:13pm | IP Logged | ||
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I found LRDS to be very hard. The only way I understood the telenovela was through many repeated viewings, and sometimes I just gave up with a "I think I know what they said."
I started the novel several times, and have given up within 20 pages; I think it will come a little later in my reading career. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| sfuqua Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 4763 days ago 581 posts - 977 votes Speaks: English*, Hawaiian, Tagalog Studies: Spanish | Message 191 of 271 09 May 2013 at 4:19pm | IP Logged | ||
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dbag, have you ever tested your level on testpodium?
I tried it recently, and I got a reasonable result. They don't completely test all of the modalities, of course, like a real CEFR test, but they do take several approaches to testing your level. Did you ever try dialang,a similar sort of test? I'm curious, because I doubt if I will ever take a real cefr test, but I'd like to have some sort of objective way of measuring progress. Edited by sfuqua on 09 May 2013 at 4:20pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| dbag Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5020 days ago 605 posts - 1046 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 192 of 271 09 May 2013 at 5:30pm | IP Logged | ||
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100 pages in. I am struggling a lot,and would not class this as an enjoyable activity, although I am going to push on. I think the thing is that novels are full of adjectives that you just don't encounter much in newspapers etc. I think I am going to have to hit the dictionary at some point.
@sfugea I have watched about 7 episodes of LRDS I think. I understood the main plot but a lot of the details escaped me. I am sure if I watched the whole series things would improve dramatically. It would be great to find some transcripts somewhere. It will probably be a while before I pick up the series again. I enjoy it a lot but spend most of my time watching documentaries etc, of which I have a much higher comprehension. I haven't taken a level test in a long while. I will probably have a look at some point soon, but I sometimes find that kind of thing disheartening. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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