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Theory of Spanish Relativity

While listening to Wayne Dyer recently, I learned that just ONE IDEA is enough to make a dramatic improvement in my life.  Just one thought, one insight, one new direction, one idea can change my life for the better.

That’s probably why I feel compelled to keep writing a weekly email to all my amigos.  I have no idea how many people actually read what I send, but I believe that if just one thing said, one time, somehow or another helps just one of us to improve our Spanish, it is all worth it.  So here (in so many words) is the one thing I would like to say today.

For most of us, fluency is the goal.  However, many language learning experts say that the later in life that you start on the second-language path, the less likely it will be that you become fluent.  The key issue is time-on-task … when we were children, we had seemingly all the time in the world to learn another language, but as adults we have many competing priorities.  It’s really not about capacity to learn as we get older, although mental functioning does change somewhat over time, but in reality the key issue is how much time and opportunity we have to learn.  And the good news is that language learning is good for the mind NO MATTER when you start the process, and here is an article that supports that fact: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/18/foreign-language-learning-good-for-your-brain/?hpt=Sbin

And the ONE THING that I would like to share with you today is that YOU can and should define what fluent looks like for you, because you don’t have to rely on, or be bound by, what someone else defines as fluent.  If Spanish fluency is defined as having the same grasp and command of Spanish as I have of English, well I can tell you right now that it is highly unlikely (save an act of God) that I will ever achieve that type of fluency in Spanish.  I’m not an English scholar, but I feel that I understand English pretty well … and since it has taken me 50 years to get to this point with English, which includes near complete immersion in the English language for 50 years, then by reason it would take the same amount of time and immersion experience to get to the same level of Spanish mastery.  Do I need to leave everything and everyone, move to a small Spanish-speaking village in Central America, and hope to live to be 100 years old?  I think so, because that is about what it would take to get to the same level in Spanish that I now have in English … and it might take even longer since I might not find Catholic nuns in that small Spanish-speaking village to make sure (by discipline, piercing stare, ruler, etc.) that I learn my lessons.

So what does it mean to be fluent?  Here are some dictionary definitions:

  • Merriam-Webster – Capable of using a language easily and accurately
  • Cambridge Dictionary – When a person is fluent, they can speak a language easily, well and quickly

Goodness gracious!  By those definitions, I am not sure that I am even fluent in English!!

How about this one:

  • Dictionary.com – Able to speak or write a specified foreign language with facility

I like that one … able to speak “with facility.”  What does that mean?  Who knows, so I may as well claim it and tell the world that I can speak Spanish with facility!

In one sense, I have already achieved what I set out to do with Spanish … that is, I already have the ability to help two people communicate with each other – one that speaks only Spanish, the other that speaks only English.  I may not be the best interpreter in the world, but I am already an interpreter.  So for me, everything from now on is gravy … whatever more Spanish I can learn will only make me a better interpreter, or should I say intérprete.

So define for yourself what fluent looks like, if in fact fluency is your goal.  If a few Spanish sentences roll off your tongue fluidly, then you should be heartened by the fact that you were fluent in that moment.  Fluency is only a matter of degree, and you are somewhere on that fluency scale with everyone else who is learning Spanish.  And that’s my THEORY OF SPANISH RELATIVITY.

Spanish Vocab Builder Month

I hereby declare the month of March as “Spanish Vocab Builder Month.”  Henceforth, people all over the world are encouraged to be especially intentional during the month of March to increase their vocabulary of Spanish words.

Moreover, I will lobby to have Spanish Vocab Builder Month added to the “official” list of commemorative months found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commemorative_months.  There are several other good causes that have already laid claim to the month of March, but I figure that Spanish Vocab Builder Month is already more important and more noble than other commemorations currently held during the month of March, such as National Noodle Month and the Manly Month of March.

So, in honor of Spanish Vocab Builder Month, let’s have fun together during March and see just how many Spanish words that each of can add to our repertoire of vocabulary.

Bronze performers will learn 1 new word a day, or 31 new words by the end of March.
Silver performers will learn 2 new words a day, or 62 new words by the end of March.
Gold performers will learn 3 new words a day, or 93 words by the end of March.

To determine performance, each of us must take the self-assessment prior to the beginning of March … and then we will re-test at the end of March to get a count on words learned.  To do the self-assessment, go to http://www.meetup.com/saltlakecityspanish/, in the red menu bar mouse-over More and click on Files, and then click on 1020 Most Useful Spanish Words – Spanish Only to download the Excel spreadsheet with the list of the 1020 most useful words in the Spanish language (adapted from the book 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words by Seymour Resnick).  Take the test by filling in the spreadsheet, let me know when you are done and I will send you the list that includes the English equivalents so that you can grade your results, and then email me through my blog at http://fotopala.com/blog/ your count of known words prior to the beginning of March.

We will meet weekly in March on Skype for about 30 minutes to talk vocab, commiserate, laugh, cry, or whatever it takes to encourage one another to be Vocab Builders.

Obviously, to fully participate in Spanish Vocab Builder Month through Salt Lake City Spanish Meetup, you will have to be a registered member of our Meetup group at http://www.meetup.com/saltlakecityspanish/, and have Skype loaded on your computer.  It is FREE to make Skype-to-Skype video and voice calls (meaning Skype members can call one another on Skype), and you can download the program at www.skype.com.  If you want FREE, make sure you only download the Skype program and don’t sign up for their monthly service that also enables you to call landlines.

Finally, I DARE anyone to learn all 1020 words – that’s ONE THOUSAND AND TWENTY words – in fact, I’ll make a DOUBLE-DARE.

“Querer es poder”

The “Secret” to becoming Fluent in Spanish

Last night nine of us Spanish enthusiasts celebrated 1 year of meeting at Mestizo to speak and hear Spanish. It was a fun evening. And this morning I discovered something interesting … it was exactly 2 years ago on the first Tuesday in February that I began learning Spanish; that was the first night of my adult education class in Beginner Spanish at East High School.

Which brings me to the topic for today: For as long as you enjoy the Spanish language, it is important to remain positive and upbeat about your progress toward fluency. Yes, set some aggressive goals and mark your milestones, but don’t let your goals become unrealistic expectations that discourage you from continuing.

Notice I said, “For as long as you enjoy the Spanish language.” No one can force you to enjoy learning Spanish – it is something you either enjoy, or you don’t. If you don’t enjoy it, I’m thinking that you should find something else to do, find something you enjoy doing.

But if you genuinely enjoy the Spanish language, keep moving forward … even if it means you stopped for awhile, and now find yourself starting over … even if it means taking baby steps for awhile … even if it seems that you are not progressing nearly as rapidly as you thought you would, or as rapidly as you would like. At the very least, you’re moving around a few neutrons or protons or whatever in your brain on occasion, particles that you would not be moving around if you were not learning Spanish, and this language-learning-particle-movement has to be better than mindlessly watching TV, window shopping, or hoping that you win the lottery (which would require driving to another state just to buy a ticket).

Seriously though … be hopeful for rapid advancement, but at the same time be at peace with, and grateful for, gradual progress. Yeah, it is work … and it will take continual effort over a fair amount time to become fluent … but lots of people have done it, are doing it, and will do it. Us too!

Despite what some bloggers, hucksters, and snake-oil salesmen want you to believe …. language learning experts say that the process of becoming fluent in a second language requires time on task over several years, especially if you are not currently living in a Spanish speaking country. The more years you spend dedicated to the task, the more fluent you will be. (Me too! I may be saying “you,” but I am speaking to myself as well). SPEAK SPANISH AND HEAR SPANISH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, and at the same time continue doing your grammatical studies and reading Spanish.

So today I am looking at what Spanish I think I need to learn next, and I am formulating some goals for the next year … then I will start making steps toward those goals …. and periodically I will gauge my progress …. and if necessary, I will re-assess and keep moving forward … and during the first week of February 2012, Lord willing I live that long, I will probably re-assess and continue. As the personal growth guru Anthony Roberts says, here are those 4 simple steps toward reaching something you desire … in our case, Spanish fluency:

1.Set a goal
2.Take action toward your goal
3.Periodically, assess the results of your actions
4.If necessary, change your approach and continue toward your goal

I do believe that there is an energy, or power, or spirit, or whatever you want to call it, that accompanies INTENT … that if you make it your INTENTION to be or do something, that somehow or another the right opportunities and people and whatnot will show up in your life to assist you in fulfilling your INTENTION.

¡Que le vaya bien!

How to get from Guatemala to Utah

We have one last weekend to spend in Guatemala, and then we’ll start making our way back home.  Before we know it, we’ll be back in our daily routine, hanging out with the friends we miss, eating foods that we are more accustomed to, walking our dogs down familiar streets, and sleeping in our own bed.  Of course, we have mixed feelings about returning.  One part of us wants to stay on vacation, while the other part longs for the familiar.

The hardest part for me is to return a changed man, and then to stay a changed man.  What good is it to be touched in the heart, and even to extend a hand to help, only to return to the familiar and be the same person I was when I left?

On one of our last mornings in Antigua, we took the chicken bus to Santa Maria de Jesús, a small farming community at the base of Volcán de Agua.  While sitting on a bench in parque central, an elderly woman “walked” toward us.  I put the word “walked” in quotes because the woman had a deformed foot and could barely walk.  To use her deformed foot she had to twist her leg up to plant her toes on the pavement, and then gingerly step forward to place her other bare foot on the pavement, and then back again she would contort her leg to plant the deformed foot.  She slowly, painfully slowly, approached us.  I have a strong hunch that she broke her foot or ankle one day, and since she is extremely poor, she could not afford to have the foot set properly for healing.  God knows how long it has been that way, and I expect it will be that way for the rest of her life.  In an instant my heart became heavy with sadness for her.  She stopped in front of us and said a few things in a language I did not recognize, undoubtedly her native indigenous language.  I reached in my front pocket and gave her the 3 quetzals I had stuffed in there, and then she smiled broadly even though her smile contained only one tooth. And then she continued on her way.  That type of experience should change me for life, but my fear is that I will return to Salt Lake City and after only a few weeks I will return to the man I was.

In contrast to my experience with the elderly crippled lady, that afternoon I went for a walk in an exclusive gated community being built not far from our homestay.  Though many homes are still under construction, several people are already living there.  A couple approached me walking on the sidewalk, and hearing them speak English, I introduced myself.  I learned that they live in Washington State, and also own a home in Antigua (and who knows where else).  I also learned that the prices for homes in this gated community in Antigua start at $500,000.  Now I hate to be judgmental, and I pray that I don’t talk bad about someone and be completely wrong, but the people I met on the sidewalk seemed shallow and plastic to me.  He was about 60 years old, and was fit and casually well-dressed.  She seemed to be about 50 years old, looked like a walking Barbie, and had a face full of make-up, a wooden smile, and what I expect were plastic boobs.  Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if they were dead or alive … the whole encounter seemed stiff and cold and lifeless to me.  Why is it that some people have so much, and others have so little?  And why do the filthy rich seem so fake and dead, whereas the filthy poor seem so real and alive?

So … spiritually speaking … I don’t yet know how I am going to get from Guatemala to Utah.  I don’t yet know how I can return a changed man, return a better man.  Perhaps there is something I can do now while I am still here to prepare myself for a successful transition, I just don’t know.  Maybe the first few days on American soil are the most critical, maybe during those first few days I need to sit myself down and beat into my head, “You are not the center of the universe!”  It could be that it will require daily effort for the rest of my life to be the type of person that gives more to others than I receive.  Or, it might just be that there is no great secret, and that I (and we) should simply embrace each day as it comes, and live in such a way as to please God and not to displease God.  There’s no mistaking the times that we displease God, and even if you are reading these words and are a devout atheist, there’s no mistaking the times that you screw up and hurt yourself or someone else.  Each of us knows right from wrong at the core of our being … and each of us feels better at the core of our being about doing what is right than doing what is wrong.  Moreover, LOVE is the universal principal that applies to all people, everywhere, all the time – LOVE is what we all want, and we all feel more alive when we are extending love.  So I still don’t know how I am going to get from Guatemala to Utah, but I do believe that there is a way to do it well.

FINAL THOUGHTS – We arrived safely in Salt Lake City Tuesday night, and yesterday was something of a blur as we spent the day retrieving postal mail, starting up again the services we had suspended, loving on our dogs, and settling back into our daily routine.  As I write these words it is early Thursday morning, about 3:30 AM.  I woke up this morning with that “fire in my bones,” the feeling that I just need to start writing regardless of what time or day it is, regardless of how the rest of my day is impacted.  Thus, this is the last email update I will send to the family and friends on my distribution list regarding our trip to Guatemala.  However, if you are so inclined, you can continue to follow my blog at weluvutah.blogspot.com.

So … how best can I conclude this series of updates?  What is a good way to sum it all up?  Today is a new day.  In reality, it is the only day I have because there is no guarantee that tomorrow will come.  My life is really starting to feel like a vapor, my life seems to be evaporating before my very eyes.  Everything has changed, and yet everything feels the same.  Out of gratitude to God for the opportunity to travel to Guatemala, should I rush out there today and try to make the world a better place all at once?  Should I focus on me, on my family, on my immediate circle, on taking care of the daily affairs of life?  Or maybe it would be better to approach today peacefully, reflectively, lovingly, trying not to control anything or anyone because I know that God is in total control.  I guess I still don’t know how to get from Guatemala to Utah, but that’s okay … One knows.

Lago Atitlán and Maximón

Some people think that Lago Atitlán is the most beautiful place on earth.  Newagers believe that the “vortex” there is stronger than anywhere else (although I don’t really know what that means).  After being there only a brief time, we had already met gringos that were so drawn to being there that they come back over and over again, or move there and never leave.  I agree that it is extraordinarily picturesque.

As I understand it, Lago Atitlán is actually a sunken volcano that filled with water over many centuries, thus forming a very large lake (“lago” in Spanish).  To give you an idea of the size of the lake, a boat ride from one side to the other at a fairly fast clip takes at least 30 minutes.  Mountains and at least 3 volcanoes form the perimeter of the lake, and there are about 12 villages at various junctures around the lake.  Each village has its own vibe, and some villages are very different than others.  For example, Santa Catarina Palopó is an odd mix of the poor indigenous people (who have lived there for several generations) alongside the ultra rich who have built expensive second homes there.  San Pedro La Laguna is a mix of the indigenous with hippies, college kids, and various other low budget bohemian types.  Some of the villages have trash-filled streets and aggressive street vendors, while other villages are tidy and permit you to stroll down the streets without stuffing merchandise in your face.

Maximón is also at Lago Atitlán (pronounced mah-shee-MON).  I try to keep an open mind about people, and I work very hard to find common spiritual ground with people who may be very different than I.  But I must admit that I find it extremely difficult to understand why people venerate Maximón, and even more puzzling are the methods they use to venerate it.  Maximón is basically a mannequin that has no arms or legs.  People think that the mannequin is a physical representation of a saint, albeit an ornery saint that likes to smoke cigars and drink run.  The people also think that if they bring gifts of money, cigars, and rum to Maximón that it will grant them the favors they are requesting … favors such as a job, or a husband, or even revenge against an enemy.  They say it is good to stay on Maximón’s good side.  As a result, people queue up to see Maximón, waiting patiently to approach the altar where there is a pagan priest who processes the requests.  The priest will accept whatever gifts a person has brought to Maximón, and then the priest will perform some sort of cleansing ritual using the presented gifts, such as patting the person’s head with special herbs, and then dousing Maximón with the presented rum.  It is bizarre to me.  But this is the reality, and it is something I have seen with my own eyes.  I went with my Spanish teacher to visit one of the Maximón shrines (there are about 3 primary sites in Guatemala), and we walked right into the shrine and stood near the altar to observe the rituals.

There are many theories about the origin of Maximón, some very different than others.  Most people agree that the Maximón cult (if I may use that harsh word “cult”) is a blend of Catholic Church ritual with indigenous pagan ritual.  When Spain colonized the country now known as Guatemala many centuries ago, the Catholic Church imposed it’s religion on the indigenous people who had been living there.  However, the indigenous people refused to completely surrender their customs and beliefs, and thus the Maximón phenomenon was born out of this mix of oil and water.  So, since it is nearly impossible to know for sure how Maximón came to be, I will just go ahead and posit a few of my own theories.  What can I lose?

First, it could be that some of the indigenous people wanted to hold on to their rum-swilling and cigar smoking ways, and thus created Maximón in order to cloak their vices under the rubric of religion.  That’s fairly plausible in light of the fact that people always seem to be able to justify malevolent behavior in the name of God.  For example, since the beginning of time people have waged war against their fellow human beings, not blinking while babies are killed, women are raped, elderly are maimed, all while believing that they are doing the will of God by waging war.

This leads to my second theory on the origin of the Maximón phenomenon.  The indigenous people of Guatemala were so severely victimized for so many generations by people who claimed to be representing God that the indigenous people created a vice-laden idol to worship, one that could not possibly be worse than the God of the so-called Christians who came and took their land by force, while raping and killing them.  Thus, Maximón is an act of religious defiance, one that has lasted for generations despite how strange it might seem to the rest of us.

I’m not sure that I have a good segway from Maximón back to the topic of Lago Atitlán, but I would like to say a few more things about Lago Atitlán before I end for today.

We are now back in Antigua after our weekend spent at Lago Atitlán.  If I had to do it all over again, I would have scheduled more time to spend there.  It’s the kind of place I could spend a lifetime taking pictures, and never get bored.  Every day is different, and every moment in every day is different.  Thus the morning light on the lake is different than the afternoon light, and where there is wind one day there is no wind the next, and perhaps one day is overcast with a sliver of a moon while later in the month the moon is full and the skies are clear.  The setting at Lago Atitlán is so dramatic – a great big lake held in the palm of volcanoes all bathed in the light of the sun and moon and stars – that it seems that an amateur photographer with a decent camera could make a good living just wandering around taking pictures and posting them for sale.  But ultimately, and obviously, no photo will ever fully capture the beauty and essence of Lago Atitlán.  The only thing that you can do is stay in the moment and soak it in as much as possible, and always be grateful for the experience.  Just like life.