Have I mentioned how much I love French? I have never before had this much fun learning a language. Not in high school when I was the most consistently tardy, unmotivated, yet energetic student in Mrs. Belanger’s Spanish class; not when I did a seven-week Spanish immersion course at the Foreign Service Institute, or whenContinue reading “Why Learning French is So Fun (For Me)”
Tag Archives: Spanish
The Vulgarity of Learning a Language
It was near the end of our time in Rabat when I decided I’d make pillows out of the cool African mud cloth I’d bought in Marrakesh. I had a new sewing machine and I had the fabric. I just needed zippers and so I went in searching in the Rabat medina, a place thatContinue reading “The Vulgarity of Learning a Language”
The Cultural Adjustment Cycle
Wednesday was a red letter day for me in Spain. I successfully asked for all of my desired vegetables in the market, got my hair cut and highlighted (and even cracked a joke with my stylist!), and, most importantly, after spending four hours over the past several days on the truly terrible RENFE website (Spain’sContinue reading “The Cultural Adjustment Cycle”
Everything You’ve Heard About Madrid is True
Hola from Madrid! We’ve been here just over one week and we’ve settled into our spacious, wonderful apartment. Our “HHE” – government-speak for all of our stuff – probably won’t arrive until sometime in February. Until then, I spend about 50% of my brain power thinking about how I want to decorate the apartment. InContinue reading “Everything You’ve Heard About Madrid is True”
The Language Barrier
Some people seem naturally adept at learning new languages. Like Mr.YemenEm who speaks French, Spanish, Arabic and a little Chinese. He’s always had a passion for languages, began learning Spanish in middle school, wanted to be a Foreign Service Officer since high school, and majored in Romance languages in college. He even lived in Spain,Continue reading “The Language Barrier”