Sailing toward a new horizon? A bookmark I made for my SIL who loves to travel, in books and in real life.

I’m still working on my Spanish. I continue to listen to audio instruction, but I’ve added reading and writing to my practice as well.

I have a book of short stories written in Spanish on the left-hand page and English on the right, aka parallel text. It’s slow going, but fun and interesting.

Better than that, though, is a new e-friend in Venezuela that I met through the message board at The Stitchers’ Village. She seems willing to e-chat; she made me a Friend on Facebook. I’m excited by the possibilities, but a little overwhelmed, too. She’s already posted lengthy bits of text that I must work to parse.

I read through once, nibbling on words I recognize and small bits I can understand. I go through a second time, understanding more because I have some sense of what she’s writing about. I go through a third time, looking up words I don’t know that seem significant, piecing them together with the words I know.

Eventually, I have most words translated, but even then I don’t completely understand her meaning. I find that both frustrating and fascinating. Language is complex.

I find learning Spanish sheds light on the English language, too. My English grammar knowledge is mostly instinctive: I can’t tell you why something is right or wrong; I just know (or think I know) that it is. I’ve always believed this is because I learned grammar in school as a kid. I retained the Hows of grammar but not the Whys. Learning Spanish grammar as an adult re-introduces me to the Whys of English grammar.

While I’m looking forward to speaking Spanish one day, I’m glad I have time to study and practice by listening, reading, and writing–and talking and singing–on my own.

Do any of you speak, or have a desire to speak, a second–or third or fourth–language? Any advice or words of wisdom?