About

Mural wall in Ajijic

Disclaimer: As of October, 2023, I am still a student of Spanish, I am neither fluent nor, at the moment, even conversational in Spanish. However, I am determined to learn this beautiful language and am finding many great (and free) resources for learning a new language as well as why many programs don’t serve language learners. 

Not a typical photo of San Miguel de Allende

I love exploring Mexico and find that my travels are like a moving Spanish class ... signs on the streets, displays in museums, menus ... all filled with new words to decipher and learn. I began to wonder why learning Spanish couldn't be as fun as exploring Mexico.

A few years ago, I consumed 600 pages of a Spanish workbook series, grammar, nine verb tenses, endless sentences to write and blanks to fill-in. I don't think it mentioned Mexico once. Because I had persisted through all those pages and exercises, I thought I was ready for a full-on immersion.

Lotería tablecloth

Off I went to Cuernavaca only to find that my class started with grammar, step 1. 

NOOOOOO! Not going there again. There had to be a better way. 

Fortunately, I have a background in adult learning processes so I went looking for ways to learn a new language that were fun and effective.

I’m primarily interested in Mexico, it’s culture, history, geography, and people, and I believe that learning the language of a people and country is a primary way to understand them. I wanted a learning process that would combine all of that in one package. 

 

Where else? Mexico City

I didn't find it. 

However, I did find a thousand-piece puzzle and started putting it together one piece at a time. By then, I knew my weak spots were being able to hear the sounds of the language and reproduce them in speech. I needed resources that would help me listen and speak. And, I needed a way to organize them.

That's what this blog is ... a giant notebook of my Spanish journey ... a notebook I can share with you, should you happen to be on the same path.

Part of the classroom.

It is part travelogue, part road sign to great (and free) resources, part cheerleader, and part step-by-step path to wherever you want to go in this language. It is more of an enhancement program to help you learn.

There are no classes, no forced march, no tests. If you're serious about learning Spanish, there are things here that may be useful. You will probably want a teacher or a coach ... the "Start Here" tab can help ... and the "recursos" button on the top menu bar will tell you how to find the perfect coach for you on italki. All done by skype: one on one with no time lost to travel. (I assume it's Zoom now).

Oaxaca

People have different learning styles, however, almost no one likes to be bored. So, find what works best for you and ... 

Enjoy your journey ... 

joyce wycoff

PS ... since writing this, I moved back to the US and put Spanish on hold ... until now when a new friend offered me a place to stay in Morelia and I jumped on it ... and back into learning Spanish.

I hadn't realized how much I missed Mexico until I started studying again.