Language Learning Tools: Spanish Immersion Thursdays

The Oscar-nominated movie "Amores Perros"
is one of the movies I've discovered on my
Spanish Immersion Thursdays.

Productivity and time-management experts often emphasize the need to focus on what's important vs. what's urgent. 

For me, learning Spanish is important. Not only do I have a natural interest in Spanish language and Latin culture, I believe learning another language will make me a more well-rounded citizen of the world.

Not to mention, being bilingual can give you a competitive edge in a global, multicultural marketplace in which Spanish is increasingly becoming the dominant language in certain areas of the country. 

But since I'm an African American who lives in Columbus, Ohio, where English is still very much the primary language, learning Spanish isn't urgent. There's no pressing need for me to immediately become bilingual. 

Language learning can often take a backseat to so-called "urgent" day-to-day tasks like returning calls, replying to emails and performing mundane chores like grocery shopping, house cleaning, getting my car serviced, etc.

I find that if I schedule regular appointments to do something important like language learning, I'm more likely to do it consistently. If I simply wait until I "have time" to do important things, all the urgent things will take over and constantly sidetrack me from getting around to my real prioities.

In addition to language learning, music is really important to me. For the past several years, I've scolded myself that I don't spend enough time listening to various local radio stations and keeping current on music.

So I decided to make myself a "Radio Listening Guide" in which I listen to terrestrial radio stations and my favorite Pandora stations on a rotating basis each day. The guide helps me to get a little sampling of different types of music on a regular basis. 

In making my "Radio Listening Guide," I decided to set aside one day a week as a "Spanish Immersion Day" to help me pick up the language. On this day, I listen only to music by Latin artists, or music by non-Latin artists that have Spanish lyrics or a Latin flavor. 

I tune into the local Spanish radio station as well as my vast library of Latin music that I previously hardly ever got around to listening to. I also listen to radio shows geared toward audiences with an interest in Latin culture, such as NPR's excellent "Latino USA" and "Alt Latino" and Public Radio International's thought-provoking "Radio Ambulante." 

 

While working out in the morning, I watch movies and TV shows in Spanish or that prominently feature Latin characters/actors. On recent Spanish Immersion Thursdays, I've discovered movies such as "Chico & Rita," which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and "Amores Perros," which was directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu,  who just won the Best Director Oscar for "Birdman."

I've also discovered television shows such as the Emmy-winning CW series "Jane the Virgin," the telenovela "Passion of the Heart," and various shows on the Latin network Fusion. 

 

One of the shows I discovered on Fusion was comedian Al Madrigal's "Half Like Me," a hilarious exploration of his experiences of growing up with a Mexican father and a white mother in San Francisco. Al's lighthearted descriptions of how he's accused by some Latinos of being too assimilated into mainstream culture reminds me of how some African Americans are criticized for not being "black" enough. 

 

For example, Latinos who are perceived as being too "crossed over" into white culture are sometimes labeled as pochos or coconuts - brown on the outside, white on the inside. Similarly, African Americans who are perceived as being "sellouts" are called "oreos" - black on the outside, white on the inside.

 

Learning about and appreciating different cultures is definitely something I consider important. And my Spanish Immersion Thursdays help me to place this goal at the top of my to-do list.