Another fun class last night! It’s an entirely different experience than my studies have been so far. No books, no reading, no writing….just speech. At the end of class we get a handout with the blocks of phrases and vocab we learned. We spend the entire class using words and phrases we have leaned and mix and match to have conversations with the other members of the class.
By the end last night, I had a little headache going, maybe headache is right…my brain was exhausted.
I got to speak with the profesora in the hall during break. She is very interesting. She is Pilipino and learned English in Britain, thus the British accent sometimes. She knows A LOT of different languages, I’m guessing. She said little things in French, Italian, German, Chinese and Japanese (that I counted) along with English and Spanish. She is full of energy and laughs often and makes the class fun, you don’t feel stupid for saying things wrong. Which I do! I know so many words and understand what she is saying, yet as soon as the finger is pointed to me to speak….duh!!! My brain and tongue do a big disconnects.
I felt she gave me a big compliment, when she said that I knew a lot of Spanish, so where did I study and for how long? I told her about Spanish pod and my books and writing with my friends.
Today…the roads are frozen again…small reprieve from mud season. I have NHLSA at noon. Tonight, Tracy has her Real Estate class.
No pics today…tomorrow maybe, the squirrel stuck in the mud. (He he)
Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spanish. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Last night's first Spanish class
So…I had my first class last night. It was fun!! I was pretty nervous when I first arrived; a guy walked in who started chatting up the teacher in Spanish and I thought, “Oh great, everyone is going to know Spanish very well and I’m going to have a hard time of it.” There are 8 of us in the class 3 men and 2 women and at 42 I’m guessing I’m the youngest (or at least seem to be). After we got going for a while, I found I probably have a lot more experience than the others, but talking still is very hard for me. Speaking in English in front of people is difficult (and yet I have to do presentations all the time for groups of people…funny, that), so I guess it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that another language is hard.
I found the whole experience very interesting! The class is very, very basic in regard to grammar and vocabulary. I realize now how much that I already do know. We learned to say Hola, Buenos días, Cómo se llama, Me llamo, Pues bastante bien....etc. This is all stuff I knew and there were so many times I wanted to add words, but I kept quiet. What was so fun and interesting is that during most of the class, our teacher would randomly choose two people and have them converse using words or phrases that we had learned over the evening. That was truly hard, but very fun. No writing it down, no memorizing what the last person just said, just spitting it out off the top of your head and then answering questions from the person you are conversing with.
My tongue had a hard time of it, until maybe near the end…but my brain was cracka-lackin!!! It felt like electricity was crackling through my head and exciting new nerve endings that hadn’t been connected before. Speech uses something entirely different than reading, apparently.
On the way home I found myself having more conversations, with myself, in the truck, using those class words plus a bigger vocabulary than I thought I could remember. I also listened to Spanishpod and for some reason could follow along with Lili in Spanish better than usual. Some channel or connection was bridged in class.
I realized something about accents, too. Our teacher speaks British English with a Spanish accent ~ V de vaca sounds like B as in ball ~ when she speaks. She also knows a bit of Chinese, so I haven’t figured out her accent, but I did realize that I have picked up some kind of accent. I say and pronounce Spanish the way I have learned so far from listening to Spanishpod, I guess and her pronunciations were somewhat different. It’s very cool. My “d” sounds like “th” and sometimes my “y” or “ll” sound like a “J”. My “v” sounds like a soft “b” or “v” sometimes and my "r" sounds a little like a "t". My trilled "r" is a little too pronounced...I try to hard I think. Her sounds were a little different.
I’m excited to get back next Monday and play again!!!
Maybe if things work out, there will be a similar, yet more advanced class at KSC this summer. Again, it all falls back to a big thanks to Spanishpod. That site and my friends there have changed my life for the better, in a big way! A big shout out to Leo, JP, Lili & Esti!!
I found the whole experience very interesting! The class is very, very basic in regard to grammar and vocabulary. I realize now how much that I already do know. We learned to say Hola, Buenos días, Cómo se llama, Me llamo, Pues bastante bien....etc. This is all stuff I knew and there were so many times I wanted to add words, but I kept quiet. What was so fun and interesting is that during most of the class, our teacher would randomly choose two people and have them converse using words or phrases that we had learned over the evening. That was truly hard, but very fun. No writing it down, no memorizing what the last person just said, just spitting it out off the top of your head and then answering questions from the person you are conversing with.
My tongue had a hard time of it, until maybe near the end…but my brain was cracka-lackin!!! It felt like electricity was crackling through my head and exciting new nerve endings that hadn’t been connected before. Speech uses something entirely different than reading, apparently.
On the way home I found myself having more conversations, with myself, in the truck, using those class words plus a bigger vocabulary than I thought I could remember. I also listened to Spanishpod and for some reason could follow along with Lili in Spanish better than usual. Some channel or connection was bridged in class.
I realized something about accents, too. Our teacher speaks British English with a Spanish accent ~ V de vaca sounds like B as in ball ~ when she speaks. She also knows a bit of Chinese, so I haven’t figured out her accent, but I did realize that I have picked up some kind of accent. I say and pronounce Spanish the way I have learned so far from listening to Spanishpod, I guess and her pronunciations were somewhat different. It’s very cool. My “d” sounds like “th” and sometimes my “y” or “ll” sound like a “J”. My “v” sounds like a soft “b” or “v” sometimes and my "r" sounds a little like a "t". My trilled "r" is a little too pronounced...I try to hard I think. Her sounds were a little different.
I’m excited to get back next Monday and play again!!!
Maybe if things work out, there will be a similar, yet more advanced class at KSC this summer. Again, it all falls back to a big thanks to Spanishpod. That site and my friends there have changed my life for the better, in a big way! A big shout out to Leo, JP, Lili & Esti!!
Monday, March 2, 2009
2 hours and counting ...hasta mi clase de Español
Tonight I start my Conversational Spanish Class through Keene Community Education. I'm pretty excited to try and learn to actually talk to people in Spanish. I can read so much now, and I can write a fair amount, although I still have a lot of troubles with gender and singular/plural stuff...and not having a very big vocabulary yet. (and of course I type two-fingered so fast, that I mispell and mess up a lot of words ...hahahah)
I'm a little nervous...it's definately a new avenue. I usually take classes relative to surveying, soils or wetlands , where I know a lot already.
New England had a pretty good Nor'Easter today, although it doesn't look like we actually got much snow. Maybe 6" - I guess some places got over 15". School for the kids was cancelled this morning. I wasn't sure we would have class tonight. I'm glad we do, so I can get to it...still wish this damn headache would quit!
More classes Thursday and Friday...this time back to job related stuff...10 hour OSHA class for working on publicly & municipally funded construction sites, or something like that. All day Thursday with lunch and 1/2 day Friday, then a company wide managers meeting (our bi-annual meeting - state of the union kind of thing) I'm sure that will be nothing but great fun.
If tonight is a success, I'll blog on about it tomorrow.
Hasta luego, todos!
I'm a little nervous...it's definately a new avenue. I usually take classes relative to surveying, soils or wetlands , where I know a lot already.
New England had a pretty good Nor'Easter today, although it doesn't look like we actually got much snow. Maybe 6" - I guess some places got over 15". School for the kids was cancelled this morning. I wasn't sure we would have class tonight. I'm glad we do, so I can get to it...still wish this damn headache would quit!
More classes Thursday and Friday...this time back to job related stuff...10 hour OSHA class for working on publicly & municipally funded construction sites, or something like that. All day Thursday with lunch and 1/2 day Friday, then a company wide managers meeting (our bi-annual meeting - state of the union kind of thing) I'm sure that will be nothing but great fun.
If tonight is a success, I'll blog on about it tomorrow.
Hasta luego, todos!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Dos buenas citas de musica! en Español
A veces eres el parabrises, a veces eres el bicho -de Mark Knoplfler
-Estoy cansado de ser el bicho
Nada queda por hacer, pero sonreir ~ adaptado de Sr. Garcia
Este es qué hago
-Estoy cansado de ser el bicho
Nada queda por hacer, pero sonreir ~ adaptado de Sr. Garcia
Este es qué hago
Friday, February 20, 2009
What I'm reading...
Last night I just finished the fourth book of the Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. He is one of my favorite authors. The books that I have read chronicle English history at significant points in time; Stonehenge; King Arthur and the Saxon Invasion; Alfred the Great and the Danish Invasion; the 100 years war; etc. I love historical fiction….it’s so easy to get lost in. Great stories as well as a means of learning a little history (or at least gleaning some historical backgrounds)
The Starbuck books take place in the American Civil War…Nate is a confederate officer under Stonewall Jackson. The last few pages of the last book end at the end of the Battle of Antietam. I was exhausted by the end of the book…Cornwell has a knack of making you feel what the characters are feeling, the horror of a civil war battle; the heat and thirst; the exhaustion after hours of fighting for your life…whew!! I couldn’t put it down, and yet I had to at one point, just to get a break and relax a bit.
So now, after 4 - 400+/- page books, we are in the midst of the American Civil War (1862) and the next installment is 11 years late in the coming. Aaaahh!!!
Last summer, I read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Another awesome book and again historical fiction set in medieval England. I got the sequel World without End, which I’ll probably start this weekend.
I am also wading through El amor en los tiempos del cólera by Gabriel García Márquez in Spanish. Some pages I can zip through, but some I ending up looking up a lot of vocabulary, but I am still enjoying it. I love the descriptions!
The Starbuck books take place in the American Civil War…Nate is a confederate officer under Stonewall Jackson. The last few pages of the last book end at the end of the Battle of Antietam. I was exhausted by the end of the book…Cornwell has a knack of making you feel what the characters are feeling, the horror of a civil war battle; the heat and thirst; the exhaustion after hours of fighting for your life…whew!! I couldn’t put it down, and yet I had to at one point, just to get a break and relax a bit.
So now, after 4 - 400+/- page books, we are in the midst of the American Civil War (1862) and the next installment is 11 years late in the coming. Aaaahh!!!
Last summer, I read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Another awesome book and again historical fiction set in medieval England. I got the sequel World without End, which I’ll probably start this weekend.
I am also wading through El amor en los tiempos del cólera by Gabriel García Márquez in Spanish. Some pages I can zip through, but some I ending up looking up a lot of vocabulary, but I am still enjoying it. I love the descriptions!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Frijoles rojos y negros de Russito
This is one of our favorite recipes, so I thought I would share. I'll have more in the future.
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 oz dry Chorizo, chopped
*Cook chorizo in hot oil until browned and fragrant
1 large onion, chopped
1-6 Serrano peppers, minced
*Add onions and serranos and cook until soft
1-2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1+ chipotle pepper in adobo
*Add tomatoes, garlic and chipotle and cook 1-2 minutes
1 tbs cumin, toasted & ground
1 tbs Doña Maria Adobo paste
1 tbs Better than Broth, concentrated Chicken broth …or 1 cup chicken broth
Zest & juice of 1 lime
Dash of Pepper
Dash of Salt
~Additional optional ingredients: cocoa powder or a dark chocolate square, chopped green peppers, cinnamon, chipotle pepper powder, anything else you want.
*Add spices and sauces, stir to mix
1-10oz can Black Beans (Frijoles negros)
1-10oz can Red Beans (Habichuelas coloradas)
1 cup water or (or liquid broth if not using concentrated broth
*Mix thoroughly; bring to boil, and then simmer until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce.
We eat these beans A LOT; they are a staple at home and go well with dinner or breakfast (or anything). They are great with grilled meats and grilled corn on the cob.
I made this recipe up over a couple years and I never measure, so the amounts vary at times. You can add or subtract ingredients and amounts to your own taste. It is a little picante here.
Enjoy!
1 oz dry Chorizo, chopped
*Cook chorizo in hot oil until browned and fragrant
1 large onion, chopped
1-6 Serrano peppers, minced
*Add onions and serranos and cook until soft
1-2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1+ chipotle pepper in adobo
*Add tomatoes, garlic and chipotle and cook 1-2 minutes
1 tbs cumin, toasted & ground
1 tbs Doña Maria Adobo paste
1 tbs Better than Broth, concentrated Chicken broth …or 1 cup chicken broth
Zest & juice of 1 lime
Dash of Pepper
Dash of Salt
~Additional optional ingredients: cocoa powder or a dark chocolate square, chopped green peppers, cinnamon, chipotle pepper powder, anything else you want.
*Add spices and sauces, stir to mix
1-10oz can Black Beans (Frijoles negros)
1-10oz can Red Beans (Habichuelas coloradas)
1 cup water or (or liquid broth if not using concentrated broth
*Mix thoroughly; bring to boil, and then simmer until the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce.
We eat these beans A LOT; they are a staple at home and go well with dinner or breakfast (or anything). They are great with grilled meats and grilled corn on the cob.
I made this recipe up over a couple years and I never measure, so the amounts vary at times. You can add or subtract ingredients and amounts to your own taste. It is a little picante here.
Enjoy!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
2009 is here!
So I haven’t blogged for a while. The office has been kind of a drag lately, with some people getting laid off and all our pay getting cut. Especially since my office and my surveyors are very busy, have plenty of backlogs (especially considering that it is winter with a lot of snow already) and we're making good profits. Why hamstring the one group that’s supporting itself AND contributing support to the rest of the company. Very frustrating. Anyway, my mood hasn’t been such that I felt like writing.
On a positive note:
For the last 3-4 years I’ve written a list of life-goals that I’d like to achieve over the coming year or years. Some are just habits to incorporate, whereas some have specific beginnings and endings. Last year, I stepped it up, and actually DID a great deal of the things on my list, and it felt so good, that I’m on the same path for this year. I made a few resolutions to add to my routines and better myself this year, some of which are well on their way.
On a positive note:
For the last 3-4 years I’ve written a list of life-goals that I’d like to achieve over the coming year or years. Some are just habits to incorporate, whereas some have specific beginnings and endings. Last year, I stepped it up, and actually DID a great deal of the things on my list, and it felt so good, that I’m on the same path for this year. I made a few resolutions to add to my routines and better myself this year, some of which are well on their way.
- I want to SPEAK Spanish with real people, to develop my language ability. So I signed up for a Conversational Spanish night class. I’m excited.
- I want to re-discover/redevelop some my artistic abilities. I’ve begun sketching and painting again. I make a point to do something at least a couple times a week. I get so into watercolor painting, that time flies by at lighting speed and all of a sudden it’s midnight and I’m both exhausted and exhilarated. I need herbal tea just to calm down to get to bed.
- I like to write, so I thought I would explore writing as a way of expressing myself. To add the artistic touch I bought some nice ink pens and a fountain pen. Tracy bought me a leather-bound journal of blank un-lined pages. I’ve been writing every day, using sienna colored ink. The same effect as with painting…exhausted exhilaration. It also hits another goal, which was to improve my handwriting. It’s downright illegible, or has been, which says something about a person. The care I take in writing now actually makes my handwriting look good, artistic. That also says something.
- Publish some of my thoughts. So here I am publishing a blog, which I hope to keep updated every 1-2 weeks. (Now I just need some faithful readers. It would be fantastic to have a weekly or monthly article published in some magazine or paper. That’s the next step. I guess this is just practice. Of course, I need to have something worthwhile to say first…A topic to discuss and discourse on. That will come.
- I want to write real letters on real paper, share news and thoughts with people that I’ve befriended internationally. I want to expand my world. Haven’t hit this one yet
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
More time for Spanish
I guess if were going to be slow this winter, at least I can put in some more time for learning Spanish.
These are the texts I have been using. I also subsbscribe to Spanishpod.com, which is an excellent site for learning Spanish. If I can scrape up the $100, I'm going to take an evening-Conversational Spanish- class this Spring
These are the texts I have been using. I also subsbscribe to Spanishpod.com, which is an excellent site for learning Spanish. If I can scrape up the $100, I'm going to take an evening-Conversational Spanish- class this Spring
Monday, November 17, 2008
I'm not a virgin anymore!
I'm so excited, so I want to share. My kids go to Monadnock Waldorf School in Keene, and every Fall, we have a Christmas crafts fair. We were working at our booth this weekend. A mother of one the kid's classmates was standing near our booth, talking to some older people (her parents?), and at first I only noticed it wasn’t in English, Then BAM! I realized I understood what she was saying… in Spanish.
First Breakthrough!
Then, this morning, who do I meet at the doorway, when I’m dropping off the kids, but this same lady. Without a thought, I said "Disculpe, Habla Español?" We talked, and I told her I was learning Spanish from the Internet, but that I didn’t have anyone to actually speak with. Then BAM!…the second breakthrough, we continued an entire conversation in Spanish. (well...Spanish mixed with a little English, and with mostly Gloria talking and me nodding like a bobble head...but still I spoke) She said we could arrange a time during the week to get together and she would help me practice. She is from Lima, Peru.
Afterwards, Gracie and Jeremiah were like..."Wow...I never heard you talking with someone is Spanish before!"
Wooo hooo
First Breakthrough!
Then, this morning, who do I meet at the doorway, when I’m dropping off the kids, but this same lady. Without a thought, I said "Disculpe, Habla Español?" We talked, and I told her I was learning Spanish from the Internet, but that I didn’t have anyone to actually speak with. Then BAM!…the second breakthrough, we continued an entire conversation in Spanish. (well...Spanish mixed with a little English, and with mostly Gloria talking and me nodding like a bobble head...but still I spoke) She said we could arrange a time during the week to get together and she would help me practice. She is from Lima, Peru.
Afterwards, Gracie and Jeremiah were like..."Wow...I never heard you talking with someone is Spanish before!"
Wooo hooo
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