¿Que pasa?

I am learning to speak Spanish.

I've been, um, pretty successful with it so far!

I've taken a year of Spanish at the high school level and five semesters at the university level.

I am, by no means, fluent, but I'm happy with the fact that I can now hold a short conversation with someone (albeit, with a very limited vocabulary).

That being said, I wanted to share a thought with those of you who are also learning the language.

Memorization is key.

While some people stress over how hard learning Spanish is, it is important to remember that memorizing things is how you learn.

Memorizing the verb tenses and vocabulary will help you immensely. Take the time to memorize all you can.

Unfortunately, you will need to remind yourself of what you've learned later on. It's possible to forget. If it's any comfort, that's the way it is with most people's native languages. I know I proofread even when I write in English!

Here's something to help you memorize your verb tenses:

HANDOUT-VERB TENSES.doc
(Click the link to go where I've uploaded it so you can download it.)

This handout was given to me by one of my Spanish professors to help us study. :-)

Boys and Girls

When I was sitting at lunch with some friends yesterday, one of them brought up something that I found pretty amusing.

She said she found it funny that, though we are in college, most of us had been referring to our peers as boys and girls instead of as men and women.

I dawned on me that I had, in fact, been doing that.
It's habit!
When you've been calling someone something for years and years, change can be hard to come by.

Plus, though I'm an adult, but there are times that I don't feel like it.
I guess I must unconsciously assume that everyone feels the same way I do.

What's a girl to do?

I suppose that I'll have to bite my tongue and refer to people as adults, even though many of us students are still getting there.

Knowing when to bite one's tongue is a sign of adulthood I suppose.

On time as of late

Time management is a struggle with time.
If that's the case, my life is dictated by struggle.

Lately, I've been running myself ragged trying to keep up with a busy schedule.

But why?

I was talking with some girls who live on my hall during Small Group, a time each week when we study the Bible and talk.
Someone brought up the point that we need to pause and make time for things like spending time with God.

Now that's poignant.
Am I giving God my struggle?

I try so hard to be many things to many different people.
I love to get involved with everything.
And--believe me--I'm trying my best right now to keep track of each day.

However, I still find that, when I do too much, everything suffers.
That's not how I want it to be.
My philosophy is that my investment in whatever I do needs to be all or nothing.

The solution?
I don't have one yet.
I'm just hoping and praying for the best.