9/16/09 Mucho Gusto Senor Gallo!

So I've decided to learn Spanish. I figured that with all the little kids out there watching Dora the Explorer, I've fallen behind the curve. (How am I ever supposed to win "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?" when all the little kids are bilingual now?) Plus, I've got the time, so why not?

I picked up an "Instant Immersion Spanish" computer program to practice with, and I currently DVR an elementary school Spanish TV show that I watch every day. (The show is geared towards first and second graders, and to tell the truth, I feel a little stupid singing along with a hand puppet named Senor Gallo*, but hey, it works.)

Ideally, I'd like to get Tony fluent in Spanish also so that we can practice together. (He took Spanish in high school while I was wasting time on Latin, so he has a bit of a head start on me, whereas the most I ever got out of Latin was the correct way to wear a toga). So far however, he refuses to do the computer programs or the tv show, but last night while Senor Gallo and I were calling out family relationships in Spanish, I heard Tony mumbling "el hermano" from the kitchen, so all is not lost. I predict that after a few days, he'll be singing along with the stupid chicken puppet too.

So far I've learned some greetings, names of family members, how to pronounce the alphabet, farm animals, and articles of clothing. (I did the laundry today and called out the name of everything as I tossed it into the washer. When I learn numbers, I'll count them). I also put post-it notes with the names of all the rooms of the house all over the place. Each time I walk into a room, I say the name. My post-its may be falling down now, but at least most of the names are sticking.

So we'll see. This may end up being one of those things that I pursue diligently for two weeks and then never touch again, but I hope not. So far, I'm really excited about it. (Of course, I haven't started conjugating verbs yet). I figure that I'm at the toddler stage of pointing and just mumbling names right now, but after a few weeks of hard work, I expect to be able to sit through an episode of Dora and know what the heck she's talking about.

And that will be muy bien.

*Senor Gallo translates to Mr. Chicken, in case you haven't been keeping up with your Dora adventures.