One of the main reasons I came to Argentina for my six month break was that I wanted to learn Spanish. I came into this trip thinking it was going to be very difficult to learn a second language based on my previous experience attempting to learn Spanish. As it turns out, it's been even more difficult than I imagined but I'm slowly making progress each day. I've used a variety of methods to learn the language in preparation for the trip and since I've been down here which include:
- Fluenz Spanish 1 DVD
- Intensive Spanish Class (20 hours/week for 2 weeks in groups of 5)
- Private Tutoring
- Language Exchange Meet-ups
- Various forms of self study
By far, I've found the private tutoring and language exchange meet-ups to be the most effective methods for me. For the past 3 weeks, I've been meeting with a private tutor for 1.5-2 hours a day where I practice conversation and learn new grammar, verb tenses, and other elements. I've also discovered a few social groups that meet in bars and restaurants for the purpose of practicing speaking Spanish and English. The other benefit of the meet-ups is that I've been able to meet some very interesting locals.
By the end of this trip, I hope to obtain some level of fluency but it's going to continue to be challenging - which is fine since the challenge is really my main motivation. I'm not sure what the textbook definition of "fluency" is but I simply want to be able to express myself in Spanish and have the words easily flow out of my mouth without having to translate each word in my mind before speaking. It would also be nice if I could speak Spanish better than the 5 year olds walking around here!
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