I make the most progress learning Spanish,
not with my nose buried in a book,
nor camped in front of the computer,
nor even by writing copiously (as much as I like to write),
but by conversing with my friends Tuesday nights at Mestizo,
and while walking or bicycling in the neighborhood interacting with Spanish learning programs.
Reading and writing is good, but hearing and speaking seems better … and it is much easier to exercise while hearing and speaking, than it is to exercise while reading and writing.
Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “The legs are the wheels of creativity.” I take that to mean that exercise improves thinking, and I heartedly agree with that.
You’ve already heard about my preference for Pimsleur, it’s easy to carry that program with me on my iPod or small cassette player while walking or bicycling.
However, today I’d like to share with you my preferred podcast.
If you go to the iTunes store, click on Podcasts, and search for Spanish, you will find several Spanish podcasts available for free. I’ve checked out several of these, but my favorite so far is News in Slow Spanish. The title just about sums it up, this a program that gives you the weekly news (as well as grammar lessons) very S-L-O-W-L-Y. The podcasts are FREE through iTunes, but for about $100 a year you can get access to all the transcripts as well. I have all the podcasts, but I have not yet subscribed to the program … in part because I am getting ready to leave the country for awhile, but also because there is a “study group discount” available. If anyone reading this blog is interested in getting in on the study group discount, please let me know.
So go to http://www.newsinslowspanish.com/ and check it out. One aspect of the program which is not my favorite is the inclusion of “vosotros” tenses, which I am not bothering to learn since I am focused on Latin America. In that light, what I did purchase is the partner program, ¡Hola Viajeros, which you can find through a link on the site, or by going directly to the web site http://www.holaviajeros.com/home.php. This audiobook contains fun stories based on travel adventures to Latin America, and I’m guessing that the Spanish on these programs is “Latin American” Spanish. Ask me in a few months how well I am liking the ¡Hola Viajeros audiobook. And again, let me know if you are interested in going in with me on the News in Slow Spanish study group discount.