Day 11 of my DuoLingo Spanish streak, but closer do day 70 of my total Spanish study, and... I'm feeling pretty burnt out. It's always the same thing: get on DuoLingo/Other Spanish site and do a lesson. I was practicing by watching telenovelas, but I used up my allotted amount high speed data on my cell phone plan. So that's out. I tried listening to Aesop's Fables on LibriVox... But I couldn't understand anything, and couldn't use context to help. With telenovelas I can at least follow by watching the actors, which helps me guess what they're saying. Gaĥ.
I don't have this problem with Esperanto. Yeah, I have trouble understanding when it's spoken. But I can read it! And being able to read and understand a language other than your own is such an amazing feeling! I can read a little Spanish also, but not as well as I can Esperanto. Today I was reading random articles on Vikipedio (Esperanto Wikipedia), and I understood it clearly enough that I actually learned something! And my listening comprehension I'd improving as well! But I still feel so limited on Spanish.
Oh well. I'm gonna push on and continue learning. Eventually my Spanish will be what my Esperanto is now. And by then my Esperanto will probably be three times what it is now. That's a pretty pleasant thought!
Until then, I just gotta keep practicing. There are many Bahá'í prayers translated into Spanish, so I may try using one of those when I say my nightly prayers. That sounds like a good way to practice, and maybe help me get excited about learning Spanish again. That's the main problem, really. I'm just not excited like I was. But if I keep one keeping on, I'm sure that'll come back. I just have to get to the level where I can understand newspapers and such. Then I'll be able to put my Spanish to use, which is what excites me about Esperanto right now.
I think studying a Spanish speaking culture would also help. And, since it looks like it might be joining the Union as a state soon, I think Puerto Rico is a good place to start. So look for a post on Puerto Rican culture in the near future!
Alright, that's it for now.
Ĝis!
