Yesterday we started the final leg of our formal Spanish study in Costa Rica.  Erin had her first tutoring session with Gedira, one of her teachers from last semester.  Mike started tutoring with Ale. Ale was a teacher for Erin in first semester and a teacher for Mike in second semester.  We have both grown to love Ale. We have had meals with her, gone to soccer games with her, done ministry work with her and become friends.  She is hard and no nonsense and will push Mike in his Spanish.

 

We also entered into informal studies with Spanish software.  These programs are not perfect, but, they are great supplements to formal learning.  We both plan on spending a little time each day going through the self directed, self paced lessons. They are great for review. Used on their own they would be very hard to pick up much Spanish.

 

In addition we both began reading Spanish language books. Erin picked up a few children’s classics.  They are all books she is familiar with, but, not in Spanish.  Mike picked up “More Then A Carpenter” by Josh McDowell. This is the first book Mike ever read as a Christian, more then 18 years ago.  It will be fun to have it also be the first Spanish book he ever reads.  Our teachers have told us that reading is a great way to make all that knowledge click.