How Cleaning the Bathroom Improved My Spanish

It's no secret that I don't like to speak Spanish. In fact, if you ask me if I can speak it, I will say no. I know that I can speak it if I absolutely have to, but other than that, I'd prefer not to. Does passive bilingualism ringing a bell for anyone?

Anyway, I have just discovered the reason for this.

Deep down I knew that it was my inhibitions holding me back, but I never really realized that until I had a situation where inhibition went out the window.

Have You Heard of the OPOLAMAP Method?

My intention was to use the OPOL (One Parent One Language) method with Bean, but I'd say that I use the OPOLAMAP (One Parent One Language As Much As Possible) method. To be honest, sometimes I just don't feel like thinking in Spanish, and other times I truly forget. I want to get to the point where Spanish just flows naturally from my lips, but I am not there yet.

I need to make more time for input, input, input....but I've been slacking lately. 

So a typical conversation looks like this. "Bean, what are you doing? Don't take that off. Oops I mean... ¿Que haces? No te quites eso. Vamos. Ya es la hora de almuerzo."

I suppose it could be said that I am "damaging" him by going back and fourth, but it's not like I am mixing languages in the same sentence. It's more like once I catch myself speaking in English, I switch to Spanish.

I remember reading about a woman whose mother would speak in English, then say the same thing in Spanish and that is how she raised her to be bilingual. Also, I remember reading that children need to be exposed to a language 30 percent of the time in order to be able to actively speak it. So I am not quite convinced that strictly adhering to OPOL is the only way to get results.

But I am no expert, I don't know what's going to happen. All I can do is to keep trying my best.

A Bean and a Biscuit

Bean is going to have a little hermano or hermana soon, thus my lack of posting. Pregnancy is very hard for me, and I don't handle it well. I barely feel like doing activities in English, let alone Spanish, but I've managed to keep up a bit of exposure.

Bean LOVES the Professor Toto DVD's. We've had them from the library for so long that we can't check them out anymore. So I decided to just bite the bullet and buy the set. We just checked out the Little Pim series from the library. I don't know about these DVD's. I'll give it a chance before commenting any further, but I don't know if I'd describe them as entertaining and engaging.

Another round of Spanish classes is starting soon and I've love for Bean to go, but I just don't have the energy. I know I would see it as a burden and not a fun thing. So I guess I'll just wait until Spring when I don't have to worry about aches, pains, migraines, and vomiting. Plus, the third trimester makes me very antisocial.

On a more positive note, now that I have an opportunity to start using Spanish from birth, I am excited. I planned to start that way with Bean, but it didn't happen. It took a few months to get into my groove.

I am going to keep up my blogging because it keeps me motivated to keep on speaking Spanish even though I really don't like to.