After a morning of severe frustration and yes, even a few tears at my apparent incompetency, my positive and passionate attitude was at its dimmest since I began this adventure to learn Spanish last year.
My personal goal has always been Spanish (LA) fluency and by fluency, I mean having a highly educated vocabulary and the ability to play with the language artistically using metaphors and idioms like I was born to them. Now I know that this is an enormous goal to undertake and I am continually daunted by what I have chosen to bite off.
But this morning was especially heartbreaking because I realized that my reading and writing comprehension far outweigh my listening comprehension and not only that but I can´t seem to organically generate my own sentences verbally as I feel I should be able to by now with nigh a years worth of consistent effort.
In desperation, I went back to the internet to scour it (yet again) for some aid to overcome this seemingly impenetrable mental wall with little optimism. While I don’t know yet if I have found the tool I need, I believe I found something I feel is worth my looking into.
One of the learning resources I have recently added to my toolbox is a paid program called “Ouino” (pronounced “we-know”). By recent, I mean today. You may be thinking this sounds like another product recommendation but it is way to soon to do that in a fair manner.
However, there was a “pro-tip” I noticed at the bottom of the screen someone had written and it was so unexpectedly encouraging that I felt it should be shared with all of you who may be struggling and doubting your resolve to learn a new language. (Please forgive the CAPS, I couldn’t underline the text.)
“Don’t get discouraged. Learning a language can be hard for anyone. Keep practicing and aim for progress, NOT fluency. Fluency is the result of A LOT of progress.”
Now the only thing I might add to this sage advice is this: just remember that the only thing that separates ultimate failure (the only bad kind of failure) from ultimate success, is your resolve to keep moving forward.
So then my friends, “¡Siempre adelante, nunca atrás!”
Santiago
The Heart of Faith 