Weird? Pretty much.

[Fcrate]

Hello people, sorry I haven't been online in a while. Been pretty busy.
About 8 months ago while I was playing online, I got into a friendly argument with a french friend of mine about languages, he said Arabic sounds like a braying camel that's choking on a... ehm
I said that French is a language that God made exclusively for women and not to be spoken by any self respecting man, anyway, things escalated (in a fun way) and we had a bet on which of us would be able to carry a conversation in the other's language first. A 3rd party suggested I give the french guy a 6 month lead, as Arabic is a completely foreign language to a French/English speaker, while French is relatively familiar to an English speaker.
Anyway, the 6 months were up, and as of two months ago, I've been grinding on Duolingo
 @Regen: My cows are great I also got a litter of 7 puppies, and again their mother got mastitis, and stopped feeding them, so I've been doing that with a monster recipe of boiled sweet potatoes, milk, whey an flour. They're absolutely adorable, but they make me walk very slowly around the farm so that I don't step on any of them. The rhythm is: leg forward, no more than 5 cm off the ground, sweep puppy away with the outside of my foot, place my foot, put the other leg forward and repeat.
@Dina: Is that show where they spent half the episode mowing the grass, the other half kicking the ball and the third half showing the surprise of other players and spectators? The episode ending  mid-kick and the goal is scored in the next episode? I absolutely loved/hated it as a kid.
go
Anyway, how is everyone doing? how's the family, Regen? And Dina: Your hubby doing ok?
I haven't watched any games yet, sadly. But hopefully I'll get to watch France vs Denmark (I hope France loses so I can taunt my french friend, but it's unlikely.

[Dina]

Ok, I am so nervous...just un hour to the beginning of the match.

Excellent about duolingo. We could write a little in French (I have it quite rusty, but I can say some things). I love French but that probably helps your point.
Glad about your cows and puppys!
I have not idea about the show as I did not watch it but I do remember for the promos that they ran and ran as if the field was kilometers long. I do remember the main character was called Oliver, at least here, so perhaps that helps you. Since i did that post I learned that apparently there is a modern, more violent animé called Blue Lock with Japanese young men enduring horrible training to become better at football. So everyone is saying Blue Lock is real, and it works.

My hubby is far from good but he is much better than last year, so that is something. Thanks for asking.

I am also still having struggles at work but it is all right. i'll survive. I have a "concurso" soon, for my main position. What is a "concurso" you ask, well, at the university, we have to validate our position every three years (more or less, the date can be a little fluid, in the sense that it could be more than three, but not less). At my university we have 2 kinds of jobs: simple or exclusive. Simple people only have to teach, and they have to work only a few hours a week, it is a half-time job which, of course, is not a well-paid job. Then, exclusive is full-time and in addition to teaching, you have to do research. That is my current job that I need to validate. Well, how to do that? All people who have a job and those who wants to have one apply to the concurso. A jury evaluates the antecedents (production of papers, books and such, years teaching, course, things like that) and then there is the "opposition" where every person teaches a small class. It's like 15 minutes, or 20, where you have to explain an exercise, or a practice the students have to do, something like that. Well, all that is evaluated, and a merit order list is created by the jury. Of course, those on the top, got the job.
So yes, it is pure stress! I do not know when we have to do the opposition class, but we already presented the applications, so it will be soon, or in February (January is the Summer recess here).
So, that is, stressful times.

Edited: We won! 
But hubby's computer is acting again. it is complicated, we may need to change it too soon. But ey, we won. That is what matters today.

[Regenbogen]

France won.  My husband is happy, because they are betting about the outcome of each match at his work and he said 2:1 for France. Yay. 
I also saw Argentina won. Congratulations, Dina!
Today is Germany vs Spain. If we lose that too, we'll be out. But this time I have a feeling that we win. Hope it is correct like the last one or there will be some very grumpy colleagues at work, lol. Not me, for me it is just a game, but there are some who get real feelings about it. I don't understand, but I can accept this: they get feelings about sports and I get feelings about books. As long as everybody has something they love...

@Fcrate: aaaaaaw, puppies!!!!!! 
LOL, your argument about French and Arabic. I have looked a bit into Arabic on Duolingo, but so far I haven't learned a lot. The beginning is mostly how to read it. Now, when I see some Arabic, I can say, this is aa and this could be ii. Looks beautiful, but what it means... No idea.
I've come far with Spanish, though. I'm going to try to read something soon and then I will see, how much I don't know, lol. We are rewatching Dexter and I can understand most of what Batista and LaGuerta are saying if they talk very slowly.

The family is fine. I am a bit busy with Christmas stuff. Every few days there is some event to sing or play music. Today in the late afternoon there is a big concert of several choirs. Mine is there too.

@Dina: concurso sounds bad. So you can't be sure if you will soon lose half your income if someone else gets your job? But you could apply in the next concurso in 3 years?
I wish you luck, that you can keep your job as it is.

[Dina]

Well, there is still hope for Germany  .
About concursos, yes, you are right. Generally, in-between those three years there are other chances, that are not regular. That means, they can be for shorter times  and they count a little less in your CV. But they pay you the same.

When you read your first thing in Spanish, tell us how you found it. I suspect you will do a great job.

[Fcrate]

@Dina: I'm sorry to hear that. You have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you'll ace your presentation and keep your.... Tenure? What you said sounds like it.
Well, Argentina won VS Mexico, so that's good news at least
@Regen: I imagine learning arabic is like attempting to learn English script from the start. I don't know how duolingo teaches Arabic, but they're supposed to give you the letters separated then joined, for every word. Also the accents, which are much more integral to correct pronunciations than French. Now that I think about it, he should've had a 1 year lead. Lol

[Dina]

Hello there!
Well, here a tenure is a position much stable (concursos every 7 years and most times even if someone does it better than you, you don't loose your job. Both of you got it). Auxiliary positions, like mine, are those who have to be renewed every 3 years.
We won again!! So we finished first in the group and went to the next phase (16 teams). We have to face Australia. Anyway, even if we lost with them it would not be such a disaster as if we would have lost today. Besides, our team did a good job, so I am certainly happy.

[Regenbogen]

Congratulations, Dina!!!!

@Fcrate: they teach single letters first, I think it was 4 or 5 and after that some simple words, but often they don't tell you what it means, it is mostly just about the ability to read. This is as far as I got. I've decided to pause with Arabic, because it got too much. I mostly concentrate on Spanish and alternate between Russian, Polish and Japanese in between. Sometimes I do one or two lessons in Arabic, but not regularly.

@Dina: my Spanish lessons are far from perfect, but I start to see the limits of Duolingo there. So I need different input. Maybe I will start with a small book with simple stories after Christmas. We'll see.

I simply can't understand how my husband still isn't annoyed with the English lessons. I mean, he knows English, and the lessons are often very boring, mostly short sentences , each out of context,  but he has fun. Even though I think he must be extremely unchallenged with it.
I sometimes ask why he doesn't read a nice book instead. I could recommend some with wizards, vampires, werewolves, fairies and a talking skull. LOL. But he thinks it would exhaust him.

Currently I am still reading Dead Man's Hand, but I have startet Cinder Spires as audiobook, too. At the moment I am just not able to commit to one book.
This happens quite often, until I find something interesting. If a book doesn't chatch in the first 3 chapters, I don't waste my time any more. But sometimes it is me and not the books, so I have to keep in mind to try them again later.

[Dina]

I loved the fist Cinder Spires book, even when not everyone shares my opinion.
I was going to ask you about Dead Man's Hand, but I thought better. It could be awkward, so, better no comments.

Have fun with the Spanish "trial"!

[Fcrate]

@Dina: Congratz you do know that I'm rooting for Argentina, right? Since playing Fifa World Cup 98 on my pc.
I liked Cinder Spires too BTW.
@Regen: Ummmm.. Polish, Russian, Japanese and Spanish... How is your brain not melting? Lol.
about Spanish, maybe watch Spanish movies with Spanish subtitles? That's what I plan on doing when progressing enough in French. I recommend a 2006 Spanish movie called Pan's Labyrinth or "El laberinto del fauno" it's the only Spanish movie I know, but I loved it, and the language sounded simple to my ears (distinct words, not jumbled). It's a bit dark, but I remember loving it.

[Dina]

Thank you, Fcrate 
"El laberinto de Fauno" is a very good option. I would recommend an Argentinian movie, but the Argentinian Spanish is different and you probably do not want to learn the local things. On the same vein than Fcrate's idea, you could also watch a Spanish version of an animated movie. Latin American dubbing/subtitles in general have a more neutral language than other movies (some movies from Spain are really difficult to follow because they have heavy accents and local words). Of course, a good choice in the animated area is Encanto.

Edited: here is a video I liked about the Argentinian talking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b7ZgZMAKrQ

[Regenbogen]

Watching a movie sounds like a good idea. I know Pan's Labyrinth.
@Dina: the video is fascinating. Thank you. It really sounds a bit like an Italian speaking Spanish. Very interesting.
@Fcrate: lol no brain melt yet. I've noticed I can learn several languages at the same time, as long as they are not too similar to each other. OK, Polish and Russian share lots of similarities, but in Russian you have the different alphabet.
I did have a problem with re-learning French parallel to Spanish. So I stopped with French, because it is just some words, most of it is still there. And I wanted to focus on Spanish.

As a teenager I wanted to become a translator, but I buried that dream, because I wasn't able to learn several languages at the same time. I believed myself to be too stupid. What I am doing now is in part to convince myself that I am not, lol. And I enjoy it, because there is no pressure, no need to prove anything, no grades...


WM: Germany is out.

[Dina]

Hi Regen! I am glad you do not care so much for football, because Germany out was a blow. I am sorry. How did everybody around you reacted to it.
We won again! We are among the first 8, which is now a passable result, but of course I hope we keep winning. Now is Netherlands, and it would be difficult. But we have almost a week to get ready for it.

I am glad you liked the video, I thought it could be interesting for you.
You are incredible for learning all those languages! And I totally get the trouble with learning similar languages. French is actually the first language I've learnt besides mine (excluding a few German words in kindergarten) and in a moment I have learnt it so well that I began making mistakes in my own Spanish. Confusing it with French.
Now, I practice much more English than French, so that does not happen so often.

[Regenbogen]

About football in Germany. Normally you would see some decorated cars drive around or some flags on balconies or in gardens. You would hear the occasional people cheering or doing the opposite. What's the opposite of cheering in English anyway. We would say "Buh-Rufe".
Some restaurants and pubs would show the games and people would meet there drinking beer and having fun.

When the German team looses, most people are just stoic about it and shrug, maybe saying "tja" (vocalised shrug acknowledging Murphy's law). Those more emotionally involved would get angry for a minute and hit an innocent table with their fist. And then life goes on as if nothing happened.
This year was different, one almost didn't notice there was a world cup at all. In part because of winter (windows are closed, everything is wet and muddy outside) and in part there might have been some boycott for political reasons not to be discussed here.

I think this is something typical German, to just say "tja" and go on with your life, lol.


My older daughter tries to learn some French now. She says she didn't want to have it at school, because she doesn't like learning vocabulary and English is enough for her, lol.
I think the little one will be more like me in this regard. She is very interested in everything she sees or reads.

@Dina: how funny how French impacted your Spanish! So it is not in my imagination. There are similarities but also lots of so called false friends.
For example the simple
tú eres - tu es
but
él es - il est.
I had a hard time in Spanish to remember tú eres and not tú es.
(would be funny if I confused it here trying to write it down)

I wish luck to Argentina. Or one would say, it's not luck, it's skill. If you have the skill, you don't need luck. 

[Dina]

Hi Weird!

You would hear the occasional people cheering or doing the opposite. What's the opposite of cheering in English anyway. We would say "Buh-Rufe".

Booing, perhaps? We say "abuchear" or directly "insultar" (to insult).

Regen, what you described as normal World Cups is more or less the same here. Except if we loose we are angry or sad, depending on the way that we lost. It also have to do with the expectatives. There were teams we did not really trust, so when they lost, we said more or less the same than you said Germans do. But other years were different. In 1994, when Maradona was found in doping, we were broke. It was terrible. On 2018, we were really sad because we had high expectations, but at least we were not angry because we ended in an acceptable ranking.
This year we had less "World Cup spirit" before it began, as in anyone was too busy with the end of the year and all that, but as soon as the World Cup began, we cared for it. So the debut was a difficult hit. But the second match had the team playing well (at least, the second part) and that is all what we needed to be excited again! We are like that, too passionate.

of course it is not your imagination about similar languages! For example, "libre' means "free" in Spanish and French, but a book in French is a "livre" and in Spanish is "libro". I remember once I almost wrote livro. It would have been a horrible mistake, an embarrassing one for an adult.

It always interests me when my friends who are parents told me about the differences between siblings (in character, I mean). To be honest, you can see differences between animal siblings, so obviously nature has a great importance, but with humans it is so evident, it is amazing. For example, one sibling loves to draw, and the other does not. Or one loves technology and being inside playing VG the whole day, while the other rather spend the time in the yard, chasing insects or things like that. Even when the same biological parents and in the same environment. (Of course, I understand the environments are not exactly the same but even so).

[Regenbogen]

For example, "libre' means "free" in Spanish and French, but a book in French is a "livre" and in Spanish is "libro". I remember once I almost wrote livro. It would have been a horrible mistake, an embarrassing one for an adult.

How hilarious! I literally wrote " libre" for book in French and was confused why my sentence was wrong. It was a longer sentence and I assumed it was one of the more complicated words I did wrong, like qu'est-ce que c'est or something. Like the thing Duolingo does for beginners, when it feels like you spend days repeating What's your name? My name is Laurent. I am Duo. Who are you?. And variations and you do everything correctly except the spelling of the name.


And yes, it is fascinating how different siblings can be. It's not only environment and education, I think some character traits are about genetics, too.
Fun fact about my kids: Mini looks like me but behaves like her father. Micro looks like her father but behaves like me.
Not in all their behaviour, but mostly.
Some things they do better then both of us. Mini for example is really talented at drawing. We are both good at drawing, but what she does, exceeds everything we did at that age by far.
Micro does not have a specific talent, but she is good at everything and if not, she does everything in her power to change that. This is way more than I ever did. If I couldn't do it right, I just stopped doing it, unless it was something I really wanted.
She could come far with these skills if she wants to. But I won't put pressure on her.
I once joked with her, that she could become anything she liked, but please don't become a teacher. The poor students would be afraid of you, you are too strict, lol.
Once a friend of mine visited with her younger son who wasn't in school yet at that time. Micro heard that and decided to take him to her room and play school with him, so that he will see what it is like. The poor boy came back after the experience and refused to leave his mother's side the whole afternoon, lol.