Week 2 was great, and went much better than Week one! I was able to study on my commute to work, and used my Memrise app to do additional study and review while waiting for my yoga class to beginning. I really started to feel like I was getting the hang of studying while still holding a full time job, running errands, and maintaining a frantic life.
Some things that helped me are:
- Using the Memrise app on my phone. I used this when I started to feel like I was memorizing the Mango app. At times I wondered if I really knew this word, or if I just knew what Mango wanted me to respond as. This was helpful to solidify what I had learned.
- Helpful tip: For Arabic, it is best to use Memrise on your phone. Occasionally one of the quizzes they give you is to write out a word. It is much better to do on your phone as you get a consolidated keyboard, and it is much easier to find letters.
- I also started to listen to music when I wanted down time. At times my head would hurt from trying to think; however, I still wanted to learn. I would listen to music in the car or while gardening, and I quickly realized I was actually picking things up!
- To listen to music, try my Spotify list of what I started with. This is a mixture of current pop music and even some catchy children songs that really helped me practice my listening skills.
- Not giving up when my head hurt. Literally learning another language hurts my head. I get easily frustrated that I can't quickly and easily say what I want, and I especially don't like not understanding what someone is saying. (I don't think anyone does). In the past this would make me give up on my want to learn another language, and I would quickly quit.
- When this happens, try listening to music and tell yourself it is ok if you "tune it out." Just having the music in the background, your brain is processing what it is hearing, and is actually learning. When you go back to listen to the music, you will remember hearing it once before, and you will be able to pick up words easier!
