Learning the language of love is still on track!

From our fabulous friend - Mama Bec:

Ciao A tutti

Well it has been 2 weeks since I first got it out there that I want to study Italian and I have made a little progress.  Admittedly I am still in revision stage – but to be honest I am amazed I’ve even got this far!  (I seriously don’t know where I found the time to organize a wonderful wedding in just 10 weeks – where did all that ‘spare’ time come from – I certainly can’t find it now) But I have managed to squeeze in a bit of study here and there.  In fact I have just completed Unit 1 – that’s 6 lessons people!

So how IS she doing it? I hear you ask!  Don’t leave us in suspense a minute longer!!! Have you ever heard of an online learning tool called Livemocha – probably not!!  I stumbled across it via some group deal, which I thought would be a cheap and non – committal way of getting the ball rolling with this language learning idea.   And it is actually quite a fun way of doing it.  It’s a little like the ABC Reading egg for kids only there are no animated creatures singing to me after each level.  But I do get very encouraging words like Well Done and Share you progress with your friends!!  And I have lots of messages from people wanting to be my friend!  Not sure yet but it seems suspiciously like some kind of international dating and chat line so I haven’t yet braved responding to any requests to chat.  Think I need to work on my Italian conversational skills before I attempt to converse and possibly ward off potential suitors!  Each lesson has 4 sections.  

The learning bit with 40 sentences about the topic in question, the reviewing bit where you answer questions about what you have learned, and then a written exercise and an oral exercise that you record and send off into livemocha land to be judged and reviewed.  Haven’t figured out my mic yet so my recordings are all blank, but at least I do practice the spoken word, even if no-one can actually hear me!! And then I can review other peoples submissions which I think earns me more time, or mocha money or something.  I am too time poor at the moment to find out but once I become more confident with this system Ill try to help other people with their English study.

It’s very exciting! And now that I am at the next level I feel very encouraged.  I do need to be more persistent however.  Perhaps set a goal of a lesson a day, or perhaps 5 a week, or a level a week.  Something obtainable, but consistent.  This is what I will work on before the next installment of this blog.  And I’ve got some other ideas up my sleeve too, including an inspiring  Italian dinner at Il Solito Posto with some close friends… So stay tuned!

   

Oh and thanks to Andrea for the CIS tip - sounds perfect for Stage 2 of my Great Italian Project.  Might see you there in the (hopefully) not too distant future...

 

Bec