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Don't compare yourself to others.

 I have been feeling pretty good about Spanish.  I love doing Pimsluer everyday while I walk, cook or clean the house. My confidence is growing because I see that I know how to say quite a lot, I think my pronunciation is good and my listening and speaking skills are getting stronger. It is very motivating. And then... Yesterday, I made a new friend named Beth who lives in Cleveland. We spent 4 hours together doing volunteer work but talking the whole time. I asked her if she knows any foreign language. Well, she is quite fluent in French. She started when she was in 4th grade (about 9 / 10 years old). She studied all through school and beyond. She has been throughout France multiple times and Canada.  Sigh. I did the very thing that my students do that I know is just not productive.  I compared myself to her - and got discouraged. I often struggle with a few things: Feeling like I simply did not get as many opportunities in life as others have. Regretting not taking...
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Today I visited a meeting in Spanish

 Okay, the good, the bad and the ugly -  First, I am glad I went. I am busy the next few weekends. It was kind of a random decision anyway... sort of like "I may quit soon - there are Spanish meetings/why haven't I taken advantage of them/ let's poop or get off the pot kinda thing." 1. I understood a lot.  (yay!) 2. Listening to Americans speaking Spanish is much easier than to people in northern Spain (ay yi yi). 3. I studied beforehand and was surprised how many words I already knew - most of them. 4. I answered two times and got good feedback regarding it. I was feeling somewhat anxious beforehand - not for the meeting but to respond during conversation. Well, other than during the meeting, everyone simply defaults to English (worry unnecesary). However, I had decided to embrace it anyhow. One good thing that I have learned in the last three years is to say "screw it" and just do it. I care A LOT less about making mistakes than I ever have... it gets you ...
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A little better but...

 Well, each day I am doing Pimsluer trying to get my money's worth. I have been doing about 2 lessons per day, but not always. Today, I want to write about a problem I have - that I observe over and over - and which is ironic because I KNOW what to do about. C'mon, I counsel people on this all the time. Confidence. Ironically, I did not start out having anxiety to speak Spanish... in fact I was very brave to try it the way I did. However, it went so badly - I was super uncomfortable, I blanked out, I wanted it to be over. When we were done talking - I cried ... and cried. I share this experience with my students all the time and it is wonderful. They bond with me immediately and I can see them relax. They know that I understand what it feels like to be on the other side. So, although the speaking part of it did not go so well, the learning opportunity was priceless.  Anyway, I have decided to step up my efforts or stop. So, I am going to a meeting in Spanish this weekend. I h...
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(1) Two years, eleven months...

I have been studying Spanish for two years and eleven months.  Where am I at mentally?  Well, I'll tell you... I think about quiting everyday.  😣😂😂 Studies show that the single most important factor to language learning is..... (drum roll......) 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 M O T I V A T I O N !!!  But - what is my motivation? I actually have two... You see, I am an English teacher. I teach online and my students are mostly adults and mostly Japanese although I DO teach grammar (😒) I have evolved into helping students identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as overcome the physcological side of langauge learning - mostly difficulty speaking. Which brings me to my reason/motivation number one. 1. To experience learning a second language so that I will understand what my students experience, the anxiety, the frustrations and the joys. 2. To actually learn a language and be able to communicate with people to a functional level in their native language when travelling or in ...
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