I have not written many posts this year and I haven’t done anything with my web site.  I hope to do better on both fronts next year.  When I get to the web site, I may have to pay my web designer (Jonathon Ross) to help me.  However, Michael is pretty handy and with a little help from Jonathon, his web site is pretty neat.  He is a bird carver and if you’re interested in taking a look at what he does, look here: galovicbirds.com 

For the fifth time, I am attempting to learn to speak Spanish.  I’ve tried numerous times but I thought I’d give it one more shot.  I used the Rosetta Stone program which is very good, but I needed things explained to me and this program does not do this.  I’m now using Living Language: Spanish.  It’s a little like Rosetta Stone but it has a workbook along with the CD and it explains the grammar.

The CD is good but it doesn’t leave a space for me to pronounce the sentence before it repeats it. I’ve decided to think the response as they are speaking. That seems to help.

I joined a small class at Grace Covenant taught by a native speaker but I joined late and I couldn’t catch up.  The teacher suggested I take a class at AB Tech but they all were three hours long and I wasn’t sure my brain could handle that. 

To be honest, I’m not certain my brain can really learn Spanish at all. I don’t really have a purpose other than wanting to speak with native speakers even though I don’t know any. I think the only way to really learn it is to go to a Spanish speaking country for a while but I don’t think I’ll ever have that opportunity.  I’ve thought about language school but it might challenge my cognitive overload issues too much.

In any event, just the process of learning a language will improve my cognitive functioning.  Pushing oneself to learn new information can create new pathways between the neurons to replace the ones that have died.  So I will carry on.  Perhaps something will open up where I can practice what I’m learning or at least be steeped in the language.

It’s funny, but I just cannot seem to get the idea of learning Spanish out of my head.  Is it God’s voice or my own?  I don’t know but I’ll continue trying to learn as long as I have the time.