Despite that inauspicious beginning, our Spanish ability grew even faster than I had anticipated. After two months in Spain, we were interacting in Spanish beyond what I had achieved in an entire year of partial immersion in France. We would go to our tutor in the morning, study a little at home, and spend the rest of the day hanging out with friends, chatting at restaurants, and soaking up the Spanish sun. My friend, despite his earlier doubts, was also a convert to this new approach to learning things. Although he didn’t care to study grammar and vocabulary as aggressively as I did, by the
...more
I will grant that its very possible to be able to get to B2 level in three months this way (I've done it in less by ignoring literacy for my poor dyslexic brain's sake), but I just am too antisocial and awkward to enjoy the experience. Focused book drills, listening practice, self-narration, and individual discussion with a single trusted friend or tutor take a bit longer but dont make me want to shoot myself
