I've been interested in the Spanish language since I was really young. I remember learning some words like "agua" and how to count to 10 in Spanish on Sesame Street and wishing they would teach more Spanish on each show. I've always looked at the Spanish words on store products and tried to learn which word meant what by comparing them to the English words. I've been learning some Spanish words using free apps and the internet but now I'm going to take a free class from MIT. It is an older class that they have made available for free for home study. There are several classes available. Here is a link for anyone interested. I went to a private school that used a self-study based curriculum so I'm used to learning from books. My husband actually found out about the free classes they offered and shared it with me thinking I would like to take some history classes. I didn't learn a lot of things in school that kids in public schools learn. Just from reading books I've learned things that I found really interesting and when I tell my husband or my boys about them they are not surprised because they learned that in school. Mostly it is history and geography that I missed. I also want to learn more about politics but I know that was a subject that I was reluctant to learn when I was in school so I can't be sure just how much they did teach (when I wasn't ready to learn) and how much I really missed out on learning. I will definitely take advantage of this opportunity and take as many classes as I can.
I found the text books online on Amazon.com and I can't wait to get them. I bought a used copy to save money. These textbooks are from 2002 but they are still expensive to me. The textbook for the class I'm taking comes with a CD when it is new. Most people must have lost their CD since the used copies all seem to be missing them. I did find out that the audio and video files are available online for free and also I could get them at my local library. My library just doesn't have the book for some reason. There is also a study guide that is needed which has the assignments in it and a Spanish/English dictionary. I found a Spanish/English dictionary website that I'll be using. So it is only going to end up costing me around $62 total counting shipping. That's not bad.
The apps I've found most useful are duolingo and Mimrise. These also have websites so you don't have to have a smartphone to use them.
I can't wait to get my books!
-D
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