Dear Reader,
It's really getting down to the wire and I've started to build up somewhat of a daily routine. I do four hours of Spanish practice and then another four hours of additional research or project preparation of some sort. Today I followed that exact same pattern. I did some more Spanish studying with the preterite and I did some more project preparation, specifically I started putting together that video that I talked about earlier.
Spanish was relatively easy today. I think I've started getting into a rhythm where I feel like I've not only successful memorized and learned most (if not all) the verbs and vocabulary that Jaime taught me, but it's just really starting to click. I feel like at some point in any language there's a moment when everything just makes sense, that's what happening for me with Spanish right now and it's really exciting! I'm not saying I've become fluent (obviously), but the pieces have really come together nicely. I still face the problem of not knowing exactly how to test myself because ultimately I could be learning this stuff wrong, but I think if I stick to duolingo and the other spanish website that I've been using I can truly be successful. Maybe if I'm lucky instead of just doing introductory spanish in college next year I'll be able to move up a level due to all my hard work. I've also been considering options for Spanish immersion classes and other ways that I can continue to learn and use Spanish in a controlled setting. Learning on my own is great and all, but I still feel like I need a teacher that's not the internet.
I never realized with doing this project how one small part would effect me so much. I've always loved learning new languages (French has been my favorite class for the last 3 years): the frustrations, the excitement, the exploration. All of it! Language is such an important part to a culture. Through it's development, a language can reflect what a culture values most and holds dear. For instance, the way the spanish language (especially slang) has developed in Latin America differs greatly from how it has developed in Spain. It's been amazing to be a part of that experience, to learn something that is such an intricate part of a culture. It's something that I'll gratefully take with me for the rest of my life.
Lastly I did do some video editing today. Kit and I both did A Broader View exit videos where we talked about our experience, what we learned etc. I've been hoping that I could edit and weave our videos together to use for either or both our defense or the assembly. So far, it's not working out as I would like. I'm both technologically challenged and Imovie also just doesn't like me, but I'm trying to find a way to make it work. I really hate wasting time, but this movie may not end up in our presentation if I can't get it to cooperate. It's not even the fault of the program (Imovie), it's just that I'm a perfectionist and anything that should take a normal person just an hour or two takes me double or sometimes triple, because, well as the name suggests I want it to be perfect (or just pretty close to it). Today I worked four hours on the video with some of that time just being me trying to figure out how Imovie works again. Believe it or not, I haven't used Imovie in about a year. I didn't really have anany projects my senior year and none of the ones I did have required me to use Imovie so basically I'm back to a beginners level making stupid mistakes and even accidentally (I really can't believe I did this) erasing my own work (Imagine how frustrated I got here). So while I hate to think I wasted my own time, this movie may or may not make a presence in our presentation and at the very least it will be very basic (sorry to all the advanced Imovie users out there, unfortunately I am not you).
I think today was a pretty successful day albeit being a frustrating one. Working on the movie gave me a lot of time to reflect on my time in Guatemala and how it's affected me. I also made greater strides with spanish. I feel like things are really falling into place for me at the end of this project and I'm excited to see what my final day has in store! I can't believe it's almost over, but I want to finish how I started: with a bang!
Sincerely,
Journey
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