After being in Mexico for a year and getting by with the language and then being in French Polynesia and well, not really getting by, I decided I really wanted my boys to learn another language. As native English speakers, I think we are never really forced to learn another language, and I think that’s a shame. It’s a very rewarding and humbling experience at the same time.
I gave the boys the option of studying French or Spanish, however, they had to choose the same one. I am so glad they chose Spanish because 1) I already had a bit of a head start on that one, and 2) It will be more valuable to us in our lives if/when we move back to California. There are so many lanugage curriculums out there, but I had stumbled upon a simple podcast that I really liked called “Coffee Break Spanish.” In my opinion, it takes a very effective “peel the onion” approach to learning Spanish. In the beginning we just used the audio and I would write out the vocabulary for the boys, but after it was obvious we would be sticking with it I went ahead and puchased the “bonus material” for 3 seasons, and that has been really great. There are .pdf lesson guides as well as bonus audio material. Overall, I think it’s a really great program.
Tim teases me about my timing of learning Spanish. He asked me if after we leave Tonga, I’ll be learning Tongan.
Gresham Family Exodus 