Last night, I had my final “Spanish for Absolute Beginners” class (emphasis on the Absolute Beginners) at the Berges Institute in NYC.  We got our final tests back and I scored a 95%, which is my proudest accomplishment all day/week/year.  I’m ready for Spanish Level 2: Beginners, but Not Quite Complete Morons.

So, I’ve been exploring and found some great supplemental learning tools for beginners.  First, I want to thank all of you who sent me helpful tips and resources on my last post!  Please don’t stop sending me things; I need all the help I can get.

Some additional extras that have helped me immerse in Spanish outside of designated learning time recently are:
1. Velvet – I made my boyfriend sit through multiple episodes of this great Spanish show.  A star-crossed love story set in the 1950’s/60’s with the oh-so-attractive Miguel Ángel Silvestre (who you might recognize from Sense8!). They do speak Castilian Spanish, so the pronunciation throws me on occasion.
2. Spanish Short Stories for Beginners by Olly Richards – While I maybe understand about 30% of what is first read to me on this audiobook, I pick up more and more each re-listen.
3. Destinos – Very 80s Spanish language learning soap opera (cell phones the size of bricks, shoulder pads, etc.). Highly recommend, but it can get slow at times.
4. Jane the Virgin – Rewatching episodes of this show, particularly the excellent first season.  The phenomenal Ivonne Cole plays Jane’s grandmother, Alba, who speaks only Spanish.  I’ve been trying not to read the subtitles when she speaks and will roll back over her scenes multiple times.
5. Despacito with Justin Bieber – The incredibly Spanish Justin Bieber is a masterful Spanish language prodigy with the most glorious floppy hair do.  (Don’t yell at me, this is a joke.)

Tashnee V Mavee was so incredibly kind and nominated me for the Liebster Award.  Thank you, I’m honored and grateful!

The rules state:
1. Acknowledge the blog that nominated you and display the award
2. Give 11 random facts about yourself
3. Nominate 11 blogs
4. Notify them of the nomination
5. Give them 11 questions to answer

Apologies, I’m going to forgo numbers 2 and 5; mostly because you’ll learn more than enough about me without my random facts (and I don’t want you to get sick of me just yet), and I prefer to read what you’re willing to share (and my brain is a little tired today, so I’m having trouble thinking of questions.)

Paying it forward, I nominate these fantastic blogs.  Check them out!:
1. The Travelling Diary of a Dippy-Dotty Girl
2. Mindfump
3. transcribingmemory
4. Life of Angela
5. English-Language Thoughts
6. Living for Experiences
7. An Historian About Town
8. Expedition Hobo
9. Gin & Lemonade
10. Oriana’s Notes
11. Assholes Watching Movies