Last night the three of us gatheres for a night which had some real Japanese flavour to it. First, dinner at a Japanese buffet in the centre of Valencia. The thing that makes the place a bit special is the fact that you can ask for as many mini-plates as you want and the waiters will bring them to your table. We ate at least miso soup, sushi, spring rolls, dumpling, salmon, some other kind of fish, chicken, fried rice, seaweed salad, dessert and so on,
Sometimes you can find funny photos when you decide to "clean" your camera. This here is my brother last Christmas, isn't he adorable?
Goulash is one of the most famous Hungarian dishes, a soup or a stew based on beef, onion and lots of paprika powder.
Now I´m drinking some yogi tea while trying to get ready for tomorrow: the cold has almost disappeared, and it feels to be back in business again.
Apart from this, I really feel like doing something nice for myself. Spend some time on my own, think and do something enjoyable. It could be something as simple as going to a bookshop and be inspired by all the books there, go for a long walk in the sunshine while listening to good music, appreciate art in a museum, go on a trip. Anything. Usually I'm the kind of person who hates being alone but now I feel like having a few moments just to myself. I can notice that my way of thinking has changed lately, some serious decisions have been made and in general life feels more positive.
I'm thinking about tapas, sangria, spa, walks in the city centre, shopping, lots of sitting in coffee shops...but what else should I show to one of my best friends when she gets here?
*This one little word will help you greet people in the Czech and Slovak Republics.
Whichever form you choose, here are some tips to get you started:
-> Remember that a language is always a very complex system, in order to master it, you need to be able to communicate and produce, be aware of grammatical structures and also have a grasp cultural aspects. Pronounciation is more important than you think.
-> Recognise your strengths and weaknesses: everyone can learn a foreign language, but depending on the method you choose, you can make the process to seem either like a piece of cake or a ride straight to hell. The piece of cake-version does not mean that it is extremely easy, rather you are using a style that suits you and that makes you have fun while learning. Using colourful pens might make verb tables look a bit more interesting, adding a favourite activity (such as movies, films, cooking) to the language learning process (why not try using recipes in Italian, or listen to some amazing music in German) makes it more interesting and gives you more variation.
-> Take advantage of time that would go to waste otherwise: are you planning on staring at the wall during those ten long minutes you are going to spend in the loo? Bring your flashcards, a foreign magazine or talk to yourself. You can do the same while sitting on the metro, waiting for a friend who is arriving ten minutes late, etc.
-> Use creativity and imagination.
-> Stay motivated: you should always have a reason for learning a language (e.g. improve your chances for getting the perfect job, be able to communicate with the in-laws, you want to move to a specific country, etc.), if your goal is to learn it "just because" you will have a long and rocky road ahead of you.
-> Stay humble and never stop learning: you will never ever know any language perfectly. Accept that fact and keep learning.
Happy language learning to everyone!
