Sunday, January 30, 2011

Of Spanish and other new things this year

It’s ridiculous how excited I felt to be enrolling for Spanish classes last week. I haven’t felt so enthusiastic about something like this a long time. I was worried if I would go through with it – considering, it is 3 hours on Saturday and 3 hours on Sunday early morn. But the moment I entered the school, I had a good feeling. One of my classmates candidly confessed that she needed to “do something more with her life” other than work et al, and there was a moment of relief and I almost broke out laughing, thinking that was exactly what was running through my head.

So this year is all about reclaiming my life (oh well, yes Getting A Life!). To put myself out there, try new things and meet (new) people! It’s not going to be easy – even as I resolve to do all this, I have been doing 14 hour work days and have been on a race against time which leaves me aching for an overdose of sleep– and it is still January! But, I persist! (And made it to my early morning Sunday class). So wish me luck.

Some Spanish and un-spanish thoughts...
1. It seems my name will never be the same again in Europe - Nee-ra-ha (Spanish) or Nee-ra-ya (German) - is only slightly better than my classmate’s Poo-ha!
2. I feel cheated of one Spanish speaking country cos I found Portugese is what is common in Brazil! (No, I didn’t Know).
3. Siente mi fuego – is the phrase I love. It means ‘feel my fire’ (after translating R Kelly’s Burn it up, and not at all sure of the grammar). Also love, Quedate conmigo – ‘stay with me’ (Enrique’s Bailamos). Bailamos is dance, Baila la calle is dancing in the streets...
4. I was the only one to fantasize about my profession – I was a bailarina for a few moments when introducing myself.

18 comments:

Meena Venkataraman said...

Lucky You!.. :)
..and a very jelous me :D

Meera said...

Go girl.. keep at it.. learning a new language is a very sexy thing to do... like learning to dance :):)

Mridula said...

Wishing you lots of luck, may you throughly enjoy learning the language.

Nisha said...

I have been thinking of joining this for quite sometime but....

Yeah, Spanish opens up doors to many more countries. Is it in Bandra?

When is the next batch starting? :-)

Ms.N said...

@ Meena... seriously, hardly any reason to be jealous. Or did you may be miss the part of me trying to get a life (which i did not exaggerate btw). But definitely, its a fun thing to do ...

@Meera ... i agree.... dancing may be more fun, but as an alternative, its a fantastic one.

@Mridula - thank you!

@Nisha.... this is in Khar (look up for instituto hispanio... and they have rolling batches starting every month actually)

Priyank said...

Hi Neeraja, I learnt basic Spanish before going to Mexico last month. I was surprised how difficult people found pronouncing my name. The Y is quite confusing sound too. Only Russians seem to know proper pronouncation, besides Indians. All the best with your studies, un poco loco...

Anil P said...

No. The other way. Let life reclaim you.

Siddhartha Joshi said...

All the best, and I can completely understand why learning a new foreign language can be so exciting...when I learnt Russian, I felt the same :)

p.s. I feel really bad for your friend :)

Ms.N said...

@Priyank... seems like we are on the same boat. they are probably angry at english for pronouncing the "ja" incorrectly. god knows!!!

Plus, i guess the westerners in general do struggle with indian names- we like to stress the names differently for sure.

but were u able to converse in spanish fluently? i am still not sure what is the level i will get to at the end of 4 months!!!

Also, isn't russian/german all having a base in sanskrit or is that some urban legend we indians concocted?

@Anil... yes that too. but i guess i felt the need to take the first step - and let life know i am ready to be reclaimed or something like that!!

@Sid...russian - very exotic! do u get much opportunity to exercise?

Siddhartha Joshi said...

None whatsoever :( In fact I can't even claim that I know the language now...can just write a bit!

Indian Bazaars said...

Loved the "quedate commigo...!!" I never quite understood why people would say "You know, I want to learn Spanish!" It would be nice to learn!!

Ms.N said...

@Sid... that's sad. may be time for a new one then?

@IB... I agree!

Priyank said...

Yes German is quite similar to Sanskrit, probably more so than any Indo European language I learnt. Russian has strong Indo-European characteristics too in addition to skipping vowels.

I think by 4 months you'll be fluent. It depends on how and what you are learning. I practised conversational Spanish, not academic.

indicaspecies said...

I know what you mean by feeling enthusiastic about something. I felt the same, when I recently started with a few new hobbies. Fishing (angling) being one of them, as I mentioned in my blog post recently titled 'All is Well'. All the best to you to pursue and develop your interests and hobbies. Learning a new language can be a great feeling. Enjoy the excitement Ms.N. :)

Anil P said...

True. That too.

Many of us, at some point in time, will begin to resist being dragged along by the routine, over which there might be little or no control.

That point in time, the realisation that is, is our nirvana, even if of another kind.

It's nevertheless a beginning.

Ms.N said...

@indicaspecies... angling, that is an off-beat hobby, i have to say! but, the idea of relaxing under a lazy afternoon (face covered with a hat), waiting for a fish to fall into the trap does sound like bliss... btw great pics on that post!

@Anil... yes, it is a beginning!

Trotter said...

You should know about the Portuguese Speaking Countries, not the Spanish... ;)

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