Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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Mood: wait and see
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Mayoral Spanish
http://www.msnbc.com/comics/editorial_content.asp?sFile=jd05...
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Tucker
Senior Nomad
Posts: 664
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: El Centenario, BCS
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That is pretty much my level of Spanish, now if I had a ton of money like him I would be in good shape!
\"I think it would be a good idea.\"
-- Mahatma Gandhi, when asked what he thought of Western civilization
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
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Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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I talk to people like that every day. at least they try.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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rpleger
Super Nomad
Posts: 1087
Registered: 3-12-2005
Location: H. Mulegé, BCS
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Mood: Was good.
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I`m with Bruce.
I spent a ton and time trying to learn spanish and I`m dumber then when I started. But I try to speak every chance I get and the locals cut me a lot
of slack.
Richard on the Hill
*ABROAD*, adj. At war with savages and idiots. To be a Frenchman abroad is to
be miserable; to be an American abroad is to make others miserable.
-- Ambrose Bierce, _The Enlarged Devil\'s Dictionary_
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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Mood: wait and see
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I don't have enough time here to go into detail on my theory of learning by osmosis, but basically it's that the classroom is the WORST place to learn
another language and the best "method" is the same one every human child (and a few other animals) uses to learn his/her first language; listening and
repeating, leaving reading and writing (and structure theory) for later. Of course this does require total, absolute immersion with no crutches, no
explanation, no use of the "other" language, etc. Nobody translates for a child- How do you say that in ga ga goo goo?
I had two years of French in High School with a Very Southern teacher whose accent was WORSE than Peggy Hill's Spanish. Then I never lived among
French-speaking people, so my French is merd.
I got on a Greyhound bus from D.C. to Mexico City when I was 18 and read a paperback "Easy Spanish" book on the way down. By the time I arrived I
could ask for ham and eggs, the check and the bathroom. Then I had one quarter of Spanish 1A, at U. of the Americas, cutting class half the time
before I dropped out. But while I was there, I met my present wife, we moved in together and that was the turning point.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Being 1 year older than my brother, I remember my mom asking me to translate the ga-ga-do-do so she could understand what he was trying to say. My
mom spoke English, Spanish & French but still couldn't figure out ga-ga-do-do.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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Braulio
Nomad
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Ay - I thought I was still in Off topic.
Sorry for messing up your thread Lencho - I'll delete it later - man - maybe.
[Edited on 5-23-2005 by Braulio]
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greybaby
Nomad
Posts: 182
Registered: 10-8-2004
Location: Idaho - formerly Cantu
Member Is Offline
Mood: Missing Baja
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Came here 12 years ago for the first time - didn't know one word of Spanish. Visited about 4 times a year for the next 5 years - with a strong
motivation to learn the language - why? so we could communicate with our friends here. Started with informal conversation classes with another
gringo, expanded it to include a native speaker, bought almost every self-help book at Barnes & Noble. Every time we came to visit I thougt I was
ready to show off how much I knew. That was always a humbling experience. The daughter of our friends in Ensenada moved to the States to study
English and stayed with us. She worked with us more and then I went to college for three semesters. Getting that basic grammar finally gave me the
structure I needed to have more courage to really start speaking, understanding a little more and having the courage to be foolish. When we moved
here six years ago, we studied at UABC for one semester and it wasn't really that helpful. The key for us has been to isolate ourselves from
English-speaking people and have our life centered around the people and the culture here. Amazingly, today, we are able to carry on a pretty decent
conversation with our friends. They have patiently corrected us. We have embarrassed ourselves a lot. But, it has been worth it. Without a lot of
hard work and cutting ourselves off from English-speaking people here, it wouldn't have happened. I really think the key for us was a strong
motivation to understand and be understood by our friends here. We were in our late 40's when we started - so it's never too late!! When you learn
the language you can begin to understand the culture and that is what has enriched our lives so much.
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
Member Is Offline
Mood: wait and see
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| Quote: | Originally posted by lencho
Dang, missed seeing what you deleted, bet it was entertaining.
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It was, sort of, for a hairlip anyway. I had a really snappy retort ready too, but then he deleted it, so my reply would not have made any sense.
Probably just as well, the other person he was poking with a stick probably never reads this forum anyway.
Cultural note #368: What Braulio and I do with each other is called "picando la cresta". This is a c-ckfighting term referring to the preliminary
phase where the trainers allow the birds to peck at each other's combs to get them riled up for the fight. In Mexico, only good friends can get away
with this, calling each other buey etc.
But, he's still a hairlip. 
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Braulio
Nomad
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Yeah - I've got to quit that posting after I stumble home from the local cantina - apologies to all - well - most.
Btw - for those who live in the Sacramento area - I just stumbled on to a bar that's like something straight out of a border town. I don't even know
the name - but it's on Marconi - just east (north) of business 80. Bring a gun - you'll fit right in.
Anyway amongst other comments I mentioned that I don't ever recall having seen Oso put together a sentence or thought without the word "madre" in it.
some examples:
I like it = K madre.
I don't like it = K madre.
Life's good = K madre.
Like's tough = K madre.
I have no opinion - Ni madre.
Oh - and the commentary about Chivas fans was factual as well - but it might be better suited for the off topic area.
Chau muchachos.
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
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Mood: wait and see
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Braulio
Oh - and the commentary about Chivas fans was factual as well - but it might be better suited for the off topic area.
Chau muchachos. |
Well, I don't subscribe to any Gay magazines so I can't confirm or deny the factualness of what Braulio says he read. But I have been curious about
what that "q" in "?quilas" [sic] stands for. 
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Braulio
Nomad
Posts: 321
Registered: 11-7-2002
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Did I write "?quilas" ?
Might be something Freudian there.
Oh my blushes.
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Oso
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2637
Registered: 8-29-2003
Location: on da border
Member Is Offline
Mood: wait and see
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Yes, you did. Ni madre. I'll be big about this. Your fowl have done well this year.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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