| Welcome
to Vol. 19 of the Spanish Online Newsletter! Spanish lessons with
audio links, as well as Spanish speaking cities and more. Well since
we're on the road in California this week the newsletter is another
article - I'll resume the Spanish lessons next week. I've had some
wonderful phone calls recently from grandmas, grandpas and others
in the senior community who are actively studying Spanish - and
thought it would be nice to share a little note about them with
you. A big gracias goes out to all of you who ordered my
new Verbs Learning
Program - I sure hope you enjoy it! ¡Espero que sea
muy útil y por lo menos un poco divertido!
Never
too Late to Learn...Seniors and Spanish!
While
I'm always happy to talk to students and teachers of Spanish, nothing
makes me feel quite as good as talking to a senior who is studying
Spanish. I've found that seniors take up Spanish for a variety of
reasons: some find themselves traveling abroad or living in communities
in places like Florida, California, and Arizona where Spanish is
spoken all over the place - others take classes in their communities
more as a social activity, while others study with their grandchildren
or other members of the family who are already studying Spanish
for work or school. What I've noticed about the seniors I've spoken
with recently is that they all seem to share a high level of enthusiasm
for learning the language - as well as a dedication to begin using
the language wherever they can. While many of the younger students
I speak with are concerned with achieving the highest level of fluency
"as fast as possible" - I've noticed that many of the
seniors are more concerned with enjoying the process.
While
I know you can't generalize, I do think we can all learn a lesson
from the wonderful attitude of these grandmas and grandpas who don't
think it's too late to begin speaking a new language. I imagine
that their enthusiasm probably rubs off quite easily on the younger
members of their family - and can create an environment where language
learning flourishes with less effort. It's also a great way for
people of different generations to spend time together - and can
give a retired person a real sense of accomplishment as they find
their skills improving each week.
Can
any of you think of a senior in your family or community who might
enjoy learning Spanish? Don't be shy - call them up and get them
to join you for an hour a week of lessons, music, movies, or Spanish
food. Don't take no for an answer - I promise you that you won't
regret it.
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