Comments | readingredhead: Important things in my life (in no particular order)

readingredhead

Important things in my life (in no particular order)

Aug 26, 2009 18:56

It was great to be back in Berkeley, and terrible at the same time, because after five days I had to leave. I love the city, and I find out new things about it every time I visit (for example, this time I made my first visit to gourmet ice cream parlor Ici). It'll be good to leave it for a year -- but I have a feeling it'll be just as good to ( Read more... )

study abroad, demidec, food, italy, berkeley, london, grad school

Comments 6

i_wear_wellies August 27 2009, 06:20:52 UTC

woot for money!!

What cd program is the Italian? I've been thinking of getting one to keep up with my Spanish, but want to make sure it's a good one first.

We need to have some hanging out/relax time too before you go.

readingredhead August 28 2009, 16:15:43 UTC

I'm using a program called Pimsleur, but it's really beginner. So far I can say things like "I am American" and "How are you?" and "You understand English very well"...although to be fair I'm only on the second or third audio lesson and I've always picked up on language quickly. I find it pretty effective. I'd check out the library -- I was there the other day and they had at least ten different CD options for Italian alone -- I have a feeling they'd have even more for Spanish. Just burn yourself copies of the disks and voila!

transientrain August 27 2009, 06:21:31 UTC

What in the world is DemiDec?

I wish I had kept up my French-- someday, you may need to reteach me the language.

How did the day with Rick go, or did it not yet occur?

readingredhead August 28 2009, 16:20:35 UTC

DemiDec is a company that writes supplemental prep material for students competing in Academic Decathlon. I helped write review stuff for their literature guide -- this year's theme was romanticism, so right up my alley.

I wish I had kept up my Spanish -- now, I'll have to re-learn it! I don't know if I'll ever be good enough at French to teach you -- maybe we'll have to visit Paris together and teach each other? :)

And the meeting with Rick went well...it was maybe a week ago. It was understandably awkward at first, and it's not like we're going to become good friends, but it cleared the water for me. Overall a good thing, I think. I had meant to write about it on here, but it didn't happen.

Slightly related question: have you seen the film 500 Days of Summer?

transientrain August 29 2009, 19:45:28 UTC

I have not, but I've heard of it-- it sounds so up my ally...

(The comment has been removed)

readingredhead August 28 2009, 18:28:23 UTC

Haha, yes, I am a white person. But I will stop being one when I actually learn the language I promised to learn?

Here's a joke: If someone who speaks two languages is bilingual, and someone who speaks three is trilingual, what's someone who only speaks one? An American.

I'm hoping to have good enough Italian for Dante. I confess I've never actually read the Divine Comedy, but this will shortly be remedied. Perhaps I will use Dante to help me learn Italian? Originally my plan was to find the first Harry Potter book in Italian and read it side-by-side with my English version, but that fell through.

Thanks for the freerice tip -- the audio thing I'm using is good for giving me conversationally useful phrases, but I'm short on actual everyday words (although I do know how to say "cat" because my childhood bedsheets had little blue cats cavorting on a field of "cat" written in multiple different languages).