My Brain is Fried!
I´m learning a lot, but holy crap am I drained! Four intense hours of class and thinking the whole day in Spanish is work. I was tired at times in the past, but this is a different level of tired. Last weekend I was having some really good success with speaking and understanding. But starting Monday, I really felt like a moron and my brain just hasn´t been working as well this week. People at the school have reassured me this is completely normal and happens to everyone who studies a language for an extended period of time. Everyone hits a wall for a while, perseveres, and then increases to a higher level of ability.
My teacher Adrian told me he had a similar experience studying English. He would look up the same words 5, 10, 15 times and just couldn´t seem to remember them. But then one day, everything just started to click and he was able to retain and recall more knowledge than ever before. He has studied English, French, and Italian as well. His theory is that with one´s first foreign language, there is a great deal more work involved because the brain functions like that of a child. Much energy is expended in order to build new synapses. As a result, subsequent languages are often much easier.
I don´t have slightest clue if this is true, but it sounds good to me. Either way, I hope to regain some form of intelligence next week. I´m definitely feeling like a mental midget right now.
