Where Did It Go?

Where is my Spanish? Has it died? Or is it just gone?

Well, I currently cannot speak Spanish, though its the only foreign language I've actually taken classes in and given speeches in.

Long story short, I ended up at a factory in the middle of the night and needed directions.

The man I talked to was like "really you don't speak any Spanish?"

I responded "un poco..." awkwardly forcing the extra u and m out of the words..."mas...pero...." and switched back to Português.

He just shook his head as I continued to explain (in bad Portuñol) that I used to speak Spanish but now it's Portuguese.

It is very strange. When I began learning Portuguese, in Foz do Iguassu I desperately wanted rid of my Spanish and now that my Spanish is passed I am mourning the loss.

My Portuñol was so bad, everyone thought I was Argentinian except on the plane where the Columbian soccer player next to me successfully convinced the flight attendants I was his sister. This actually became quite awkward but helped me get through customs.

....and now I can't even cough up a tiny bit of travelers Spanish...though, I will say the Portuguese has made my Spanish reading smoother, which is actually not practical at all.

But I'm convinced that I still know Spanish even if no Spanish speaker believes me. I know it is in my brain somewhere just waiting to be resuscitated. 

October - December Goal - Separation

My 2 Language Study Plan worked alright for a while but I realized that people in other parts of the world are awake when they are awake and there were certainly nights where I was chatting with people in both languages.

I found that changing the times was helpful but even more so is consciously switching off one for one person and switching it back on for another person.

This is easier said than done. I can't tell you how many times I would use a word from wrong language only to notice when my friend responded with "what are you saying?" It typically would happen when I couldn't think of the right word and I was unaware that my brain just replaced it so I would need to look it up the word in the correct language.

Also talking to myself is helpful. It takes a lot more effort to think in Hindi. Portuguese is getting pretty easy to think in. Krio just happens. And French is quite difficult.

My biggest struggle with the Hindi is still the sentence structure because my vocabulary is decent (except I have forgotten a lot) and you can use English and be understood.

I still don't have Hindi and Portuguse figured out, but I think I will be needing to add in some Spanish to the mix. There have been several times people will speak to me in Spanish. I understand and then respond in portunol or just plain old portuguese.

This is not ok. I am around enough Spanish that I actually need Spanish in my town...so I am also working on separating Spanish and Portuguese in my head. This should not be too difficult, except I do fear loosing my Portuguese before I get decent and not getting it back....ever. Will see.

So my goal October - December Goal (or until I re-write goals):
Speak Hindi and to keep languages separate in messages, conversation and my brain.

Thank guys!!! 

24 Hours: No English

Its been 24 hours and my brain is kinda freaking out. I'm exhausted and feel like I am a major pain in the ass because people have to explain everything several times and the tension and the frustration and knowing I'm bad at Portuguese is is making it more difficult to understand, speak and recal what I do know...

 

Por outro lado, eu gosto la experiência porque é unique e eu sai que eu vou crescer mas que todas las otras situações em Brazil. Eu vou aprender mais português. Os pesoas tem muitos patience comigo também. Elles são fantásticos. 

 

My portuguese is atrocious and its frustrating because I want to connect with people deeper but I can't because the words must be simplified so much. Even my thoughts in English are being dumbed down. "I want sit. I like the day in the past. I make paint water."

Meus pensamentos em português são ideias complexas. Eu adoro la experiência é acredito que eu vou aprender muito coisas sobra la Brazilian cultura so observando. E eles falan que meu português é bom pra dois meses. E eu mais o menos concordo. Tenho muitos feliz e sorrisos quando uma convenção é swave. 

 

I miss home (mostly my husband) and I miss spicy food, eating with my hands and taking my shoes off indoors. I miss Laramie and am sad that there is a possibility that I may never return. I am sad that I'm not yet in Washington and I'm sad that Jim is stuck there without me.

 

Saldages é minha palavra favorite en la idioma português. E eu penso que é descritivo de a cultura beleza. Uma cultura com muito emoções linda e sentimental. As pesoas aqui é carinhosos e dulce. Eles pensam com suas emoções. E eu gosto disso. Tenho saldages pra meus amigos en Santa Catarina e eu terei muitos pra pesoas aqui, pierto de Brasília, e todo o país.

 

Challenges make you stronger.
Viagem é cultivo bonito. 

 

Looking at Brasilia

 

*I ended up going several days and it was amazing...eu tenho cinco dias sem inglês e é foi muito bom! Obrigada amigos Brasileiros! 

 

E mais uma coisa. Disculpa meio mal em português...Eu escrevi este no meu diário/jornal, depois de um mês de practca português :p 

 

For those of you who speak both languages...I didn't intend on the two different tones...it just happened as I journaled and switched languages...

 

 Originally Posted August 8, 2014 on my Travel Art Blog.

Esperar - To Hope: Quando as Coisas Não Funcionam

People in brazil have a strangely beautiful and amazing ability to wait patiently and maintain relaxed when things não funcionam.

 

I talked to a man on a bus about this. I pondered "eu não entendo como pesoas em brazil tem muitos patience. É muito interesante pra mim."

 

I'm pretty sure this man ended up missing his flight because the bus didn't come on time. Yet...

We calmly talked about brazillian patience, lack of function, and a myriad of other topics for over an hour (em Português, I might add). 

 

Em los estados unidos pesoas....grrrr (meu mao português at work here...)..." In the US we want our money back if we stand, waiting, almost two hours for food.

 

But, I suppose it is rare that we would ever wait that long in the first place. We refuse to pay and walk out long before the 30 minute marker. 

 

If something goes wrong we get angry and try to get the priority service we paid for. After all we either earned or deserve it.  

 

At the end of out conversation, I think this man and I came to the conclusion that Brazilians are used to things não está funcionando so there is "no problem" and a backup plan will come along so that eventually things will work out even if they don't work... But Brasileiros sabem that eventually it all works out and not staying relaxed doesn't help.

 

If you wait through, it will all work out, even if it doesn't function properly or work. 

Se você tem patience, todas as coisas vão funcionar, mesma que ele não funciona direito.

 

 

I will end this post with a message I sent my husband while I was waiting for a delayed airplane with some Spanish-speaking imagrants coming to Pasco to work...

 

"well a cool fact...Portuguese and Spanish both use the verb esperar. It means "to hope" but is used for "to wait" as well. So you are literally hoping for something or someone. I like it. I think it shows insight into the hopeful mentality and patience Latin Americans have...anyways back to hoping :) love you"

Originally posted August 19 on my Travel Art Blog.

Updated Goals - Final Stretch of 2015

Only a few months left of the year.

Let's get to it, here are my language learning goals.

General - When people ask if I speak a language, say "Yes, I speak it." And then speak it.

Português - I don't want to get worse and hope to maintain my skills by listening to "Você Sabia?" on YouTube anf commenting weekly.

Hindi - Create speaking videos monthly and practice writing monthly.

Arabic - Listen to speakers. Pick up common words and Urdu words.

Somali - Listen when given the opportunity. Practice the few phrases I know.

Latin - I would love to finish reading John but that may need to wait.

Spanish - I don't want to mix Português and Spanish intentionally. If a Spanish speaker speaks English I will speak English. If they understand Português, I will speak Português.

Picture credit
See Www.feliciafollum.com
Or www.etsy.com/shop/feliciafollum

Slacker and Update!

It's official, I have been slacking in my study and in my posting. On the bright side I have been using lanuage in real life...

Here is an update of what I have done in the last few months.

Hindi - I meet with an Indian woman aproximately once per month and we practice speaking. She also corrects my writing practice. In addition there is an Indian man who works at a gas station that I only speak in Hindi with.

I have began watching a TV series on YouTube named Shaka Laka Boom Boom.

I recently met a Punjabi man (maybe I will share this story one day as well). We speak, him in Punjabi and I in Hindi, and sometimes we understand.

Urdu - I have recently met a couple new Pakistani friends.

Português - I have one Brazilian friend in the Tri-Cities. We speak Português when it is just the two of us. I also practice a bit with a friend in Brazil and I have some Brazilian friends that only speak Português, so we all chat as well.

I'm still working through Duolingo. Slowly but surely.

Spanish - I am around it quite often in my city, and try to listen but don't do much of anything. It's very difficult for me to speak as I mix it with Português a lot. 

After I finish Português on Duolingo, I do plan to work through Spanish in Portuguese or Portuguese in Spanish...so I will put them against eachother in hopes of keeping them separate...

until I'm at a decent point in one, I don't think the other will be useful and they say learning Portuguese makes Spanish very easy.

Sign Language - I use sign with a man at Cricket. I also use sign language instead of singing in church. Sadly my sign has deteriorated when it comes to conversing.

Arabic - I'm amazed by how many Islamic friends (mostly Somalian, new to America) use Arabic and I know the words from Urdu.

Somali - Similarly, I'm often surprised to see that many Hindi and Somali words are similar.
Jabati - chapati
Sambusa - samosa

Lakota - not practicing.

Latin - This is a new one for me.  I've considered reading the book of Mark in the Vulgate Bible...I'm researching the best way to learn to read Latin for this purpose.

Cultural paintings from FeliciaFollum.com

Also at Facebook.com/feliciafollumdesign

Separation: Tips For Studying Multiple Languages at Once

My tips to avoid language confusion when studying multiple new languages.

Greeting cards inspired by henna designs and Indian culture by Felicia Follum Art+. They will be up on ETSY soon.

1. Stagger languages - practice one language for a few months then add another one in.

For me I confused Hindi with Spanish because neither language was at a good enough level to add more. I also confused Spanish and Portuguese at first. Once my Portuguese became stronger it began to hold its own.

2. Separate place, time, people, activity, etc so your brain will associate these things with that language.

For example practice Hindi in the evenings through texting and Portuguese in the mornings. Watch movies in Hindi and use Duolingo for Portuguese. I've also told friends that I can only practice one language with them at a time.

More of my art inspired by language learning and Indian culture.

3. Don't practice mixing both new languages.

Ex don't try to speak in a mix of Hindi and Spanish at first. It will hurt you in the long run. Form a sentence in one and force yourself to  use only that language. Resist the urge to have conversations in a mix of two incomplete languages even when you find others who mix the same to unrelated languages.

4. Learn Languages that are different from one another.

This will help keep language confusion to a minimum. Some people will argue that working on similar languages is helpful because the work off one another. Though helpful, I found that my precious knowledge of Spanish was more of a hindrance than it was helpful. However learning only Urdu or Hindi would be a challenge.

5. Learn one difficult and one easy language.

I realize this is subjective. One strategy is to pick a language similar to one you already know and one that is very different. One strategy would be to focus maybe 60% or 70% of your time on the more difficult language and the rest on the easy language. I typically prefer to practice the language that I am excited about at a given time.

These are just the things that helped and are helping me the most. I am aware that there are more ideas and would love to hear some of yours. What tips have helped you? Did mine work for you? Do you struggle with mixing languages?

Let me know below...

2 Language Study Plan

I think my two language learning strategy for the next month is to practice português in the morming and hindi at night. I want to keep the languages as separate as possible in my brain. We will see how this works....

Hindi - I will watch hindi movies and review vocab. I would like to find a group to practice speaking with. I think there is one where we moved. I will of course chat with my Indian friends at night.

Português - I will text with my Brazilian feiends in the morning. I would also like to study grammar a bit.

Any tips? Thoughts?

This photo from Casa Frida may seem incredibly random but there is both Sanskrit and Portuguese graffiti in the background...