Spanish Practice

I have an "on-again and off-again" relationship with the Spanish language.  I've taken courses in college, worked at a Mexican restaurant in Virginia, and have been to Ecuador for a study abroad program.  While I am nowhere near fluent, I like to think I have a general grasp of basic vocabulary and grammar.  Still, from time to time, I try and do a supplemental activity to improve (from listening to Spanish music to using software for the Nintendo DS).  A year ago, I made it a resolution to get better at Spanish via Duolingo.  Duolingo is a website where participants can learn a foreign language for free.  I did great for a few months and then, like most resolutions, I dropped the habit.  Recently, I tried it again.

I logged in and looked at the depressive home page.  All my word strength bars were down to nearly nothing due to neglect.  To be fair, I've logged in a few times earlier this year, but I could not stick to the habit.  I think one reason I got burned out of it was the need to do a lot in one session, so I went into settings and switched my Daily XP from 50 points a day to 10.  My 5BX regimen takes only 11 minutes a day, so maybe dialing the daily requirements down is what I needed.  I did the activity for the day, going back to strengthen basic vocabulary, and was greeted with the usual fanfare I was accustomed to back when I was regularly participating.  Afterward, it told me I was 27% fluent in Spanish.  However, seeing my other strength gauges so low negated any idea of fluency.

I am going to give this a try and see if I can stick with it this time.  I think going too fast and too hard is what made me lose interest the first few times.  I would love to get better at Spanish.  Learning a new language opens up the world culturally, strengthens work prospects, and has great mental benefits.  If I can stick with 5BX for as long as I have, I think I can stick with Duolingo, even if in a limited sense.  For those interested, here is the website: www.duolingo.com

BONUS: Another great way to test language vocabulary is through the Free Rice program.  The participant answers questions pertaining to math, vocabulary, art, et cetera.  Every correct answer sees 10 grains of rice donated to the World Food Programme.  The difficulty of the test of adaptive, so the more answers players get correct, the harder the subsequent questions become.  Getting a question wrong just bumps you down to an easier question.  Ten grains of rice may not seem like a lot, but they add up, especially when playing for a few minutes.  One of the subjects is Spanish language, so players can improve their fluency while feeding people.  Clicktivism at its finest, I think.  Here is the website: www.freerice.com