El Patio Spanish

What was your motivation to start learning Spanish?

I wanted to travel to the southern part of Spain where there is a rich history of Islam related to the occupation of Spain and Portugal for eight centuries up until the 15th. My interest in Islam stemmed from my late wife who was Muslim.

A further motivation occurred in mid 2011 when, soon after I had signed up to LinkedIn, I received a message from a Venezuelan whom I had met when we were postgraduate students in London in the early 70’s. We lost contact for 35 years so I decided it was time for me to pay him a visit to catch up on each other’s news! The photo shows him introducing me to the qualities of Venezuelan rum in a bar in Caracas in September 2011.

Later I was further motivated when I had a Colombian housemate who invited her mother to stay in my house for six months in November 2011. The mother spoke almost no English, and because I was looking after her during the day while my housemate was at work, we needed to communicate. Unfortunately when the going got tough we reverted to Google translate.

When did you begin?

I began in September 2010 at the CAE in the Melbourne CBD with Isidro Garcia as my teacher. Isidro later worked at El Patio. After discovering El Patio just down the road from where I was living at the time, I enrolled here in February 2011 and I have been plodding along ever since.

Have you travelled or lived in a Spanish speaking country?

I went to Spain with my daughter in February 2010 and travelled to Córdoba (to visit the Mezquita), Granada (to visit the Alhambra) and finally Barcelona (couldn’t miss Gaudi). After that I had completed some more classes at El Patio and I decided to try a language school in Spain. Ana recommended Don Quixote in Madrid and I spent two weeks there in September 2011. I used their homestay system and stayed with a wealthy widow who had a friend with a swimming pool, so I was lucky enough to have a swim on a hot Madrid day with my hostess (see photo).

After completing my course in Madrid I also visited Segovia (Roman aqueduct), Cuéllar (family name of my Colombian housemate), and Bilbao (Guggenheim museum).

I received an initiation to stay with my housemate’s family in Bogotá so I headed off there in February 2013 (via Caracas to see my Venezuelan friend again). It was a good experience staying with a family in Bogotá, much better than travelling as a tourist. I had to speak Spanish because none of the family had English. One day I checked out the president’s palace and bumped into two friendly guards (see photo). One of them had his finger on the trigger, so I didn’t hang around too long!

Do you have a current goal, and if so, what is it?

I want to continue in my quest to become bilingual so that if I get to travel to a Spanish-speaking country again I will be more confident. Also there is good evidence that bilingualism delays dementia by more than four years. Both my parents had dementia before they died so I am doing all I can to reduce my risk.

Do you have a particular study schedule apart from your group class?

I review my notes soon after my class. I make sure I translate all the new words that came up in conversation and were written on the board. I also do the prescribed homework that includes reviewing a newspaper article from a Spanish Language newspaper. Before my next class I review what we covered the previous week and also look at what we might be covering in the impending class.

What do you think is the most challenging thing about learning Spanish?

Understanding the spoken language when it is delivered at a rapid rate. Also, as one advances and encounters more complex verb tenses and moods in class, it is not easy to incorporate these in everyday conversation.

What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are for learning Spanish?

My strength is my determination to understand the grammar. I am a freelance writer so I value the use of good grammar.

My weakness is my comprehension of the spoken language. I am slightly deaf in one ear due to my attendance at many loud rock concerts in my youth. This makes it difficult to differentiate certain consonants.

What is your most effective method for memorisation?

I write down common phrases in a small notebook. I review these often. Some days I try to use Spanish in my thoughts, and when I can’t think of the Spanish word I consult the dictionary or Google. 

What are or have been your most helpful resources? (eg, podcasts, songs, books, websites ...)

I use the links from the El Patio “weblink”. Early in my studies I printed out the “3 past tenses” page and placed it in a plastic sleeve. I regularly refer to that when I am not sure which past tense to use.

I also use the book “Spanish Grammar” (Schaum) for grammatical help, particularly the verbs.

I am a student member of StudySpanish.com, which I find helpful.

I also have been working my way through Duolingo, which is fairly basic, but I find it useful revision.

I also watch the occasional Spanish-speaking movie, and when I am on the cross trainer in the gym I watch Spanish News on SBS.

What is your advice for anybody starting out learning Spanish?

Immersion in the language is the quickest way to learn any new language, but this is not always possible. If you want to attend a language school in a Spanish speaking country I suggest you don’t do that as a beginner, but wait until you have progressed to an intermediate level. In this way you will get the most out of your course.