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I am about halfway complete with my Fulbright stay in Mexico. I am barely keeping up with appointments and interviews but wanted to take a day or two to write about my current thoughts… it will be interesting (to me!) to see if they change 6 weeks from today. The following is an ongoing journal regarding teaching and learning.
Maybe you do not know this about me. I am an avid rower, a sculler, in the summer.
I learned to row in a team boat (an “8”) at Carnegie lake with the Princeton Lakers several years ago. About 2 years later I moved to New Hope and joined the Swan Creek Rowing Club located in Lambertville on the Delaware River.
Sculling is of course different – two oars and usually (for me ), one person. I still remember the professional rowing coach from Philadelphia instructing me in a double in the middle of the river. He said, “There you go! Now you will improve and then you will chase that perfect stroke for the rest of your life.” Actually that is untrue. I do not chase the perfect stroke. Also I believe this story is very relevant to learning Spanish, and learning in general.
Back to the Delaware River…. I continued rowing all summer. Almost every day. I found a friend (Carol) who supported me as a mentor and we would row together a few times a week. The Swan Creek club “house” is located on the NJ side of the Delaware below (south) of the Lambertville station. A successful row is to start rowing up the current past the free bridge to New Hope and then past the 202 N/S bridge, turn around, complete a 3 miles loop.
Now I am unsure how many of you know how to scull. It is quite difficult.
Every day, weather permitting, I would pick up the heavy boat, walk it to the river. Get in, and try to stroke two separate oars, simultaneously on the same plane. Any decent stroke (simultaneous, same plane) would move me forward, albeit usually off to one side or the other. Pretty quickly I could get past the free bridge to New Hope. Immediate gratification! Prior to the next bridge, however, the river narrows and become shallow and swift. I have always referred to them as rapids but by definition I suppose they are ripples…very fast ripples.
Thus every morning I would start out and try to make it up through the fast rapid ripples. At first, Carol and I would row together. Shortly, I would move off to the right or to the left, depending on which of my arms/legs was connecting (or not connecting) and Carol would continue to move forward, through the rapid-ripples and then turn around.
She would turn around, because I could not make it through. Sometimes I would tip the boat (cold, embarrassing). Sometimes I would continue to move the right or the left until I was exhausted and then allow the current to turn me around and lead me back downriver to the boat launch.
During my daily fight with the river, Carol usually would peacefully row a few large laps around me, a series of concentric circles, where I could see she was in a groove, enjoying herself and rowing in concert with the river and the beautiful morning. During that time, I felt none of the beauty and peacefulness. I stubbornly continued to row and try for the rapid-ripples until I tipped or became exhausted.
Of course one day I made it through. Then I made it through again and again. After 8 years I am an avid rower. It is second nature most days and I have surpassed my goals of making up the river. This year I am even rowing on a competitive team.
This is what I think about while learning Spanish.
I find learning Spanish to be very difficult. MUY DIFICIL. Good days, bad days. Dias regulares. Even now, after two years of study, I neglect very necessary parts of speech in a basic sentence sometimes…at least once a day and that is considered a good day.
When I feel very frustrated I think about rowing. My nature is to aggressively attack the issue and try to conquer the problem through sheer force of will. That didn't work well for me in rowing. It doesn’t work in Spanish either. My first teacher told me (actually I think they have all told me) TRANQUILO! Disfruta del camino. (Relax and enjoy the journey). Not really my style but I now think about rowing.
In some ways I miss the days when rowing was a challenge. It wasn’t second nature, it wasn't easy. Spanish will be the same. Maybe not for 4-6 more years.. but I will get there and I will enjoy (most) all steps of the way.