Goals: 2011 Edition.
Languages
Spanish
My goal last year was to get to an ‘advanced conversational level’, whatever that meant. So I worked my arse off, compiling hours of Spanish videos from various vloggers on my iPod and having a good listen with every chance that I got. I finally completed all three levels of Pimsleur and got pretty inventive with TV, downloaded the documentary series Callejeros Viajeros as well as the cultural goldmine Mexico’s Next Top Model (now that’s how you learn a language). What else? Discovered some okay-ish Spanish hip-hop and started sentence mining from Spanish movies
So where am I with it now at the beginning of this year? Well, pretty good I suppose. I’ve acquired a pretty extensive passive vocabulary for one thing, and yeah it’s coming together pretty well. Had a teacher for a a few months who may or may not have helped me progress. But overall, pretty solid.
Goal for the 2011: More vocabulary, solidify knowledge of grammar, speak with high proficiency.
German
Didn’t do much in the way of actively studying, but really surprised at how I’ve basically maintained everything I’ve ever learned despite that fact. Off to Oktoberfest this year, and though I’ve got nothing to worry about in terms of getting by, at least it gives me a decent incentive to push myself to the next level.
Goal for 2011: More vocabulary
Russian
Came into 2010 on such a high with this language, had a Russian teacher in Toronto, kept a journal of all the Pimsleur units, but somewhere along the way I just put the whole thing aside. Don’t really know what happened there, but not in a rush to get on with it. Let’s put it this way, I love studying it, but I feel I can afford to do it at a much more relaxed pace whilst Spanish takes precedence. Hours of transcribing Pimsleur into my journal has pretty much solidified my existing knowledge, so again no danger of regressing.
Goal for 2011: Maintain existing knowledge, complete Pimsleur, continue passive listening
Japanese
Sort of a new one for this year. I’m pretty relaxed about this one and again in no real hurry to progress. Virtually a complete beginner. Nailed about half the half the hiragana since Xmas, but I should have done both that and the katakana by now.
Goal for 2011: Know both kanas by the end of the month, 200 Kanji over the coming months…?
Other stuff
My band, Nude Scene is coming to it’s premature end this year, which is a bummer. I guess start up a new musical project, start writing some tracks, maybe post em up here.
