Charles was born in Galway, in the West of Ireland, on the 6th of April 1970, which was the first day of the tax year 1970/71, although he was not aware of the date’s significance at the time. Very little is known about his early life ...
what is the point of all of this?To see how much Spanish I can learn from scratch in 12 months. Was that not clear from the home page?
I'm not aiming for fluency, what ever that means, nor am I trying to pass for a native (even if my pasty Irish skin wasn't a dead giveaway). I'm aiming for as high a level as I can reach in a year, and to have it independently verified by taking an exam in April 2021. Hopefully, this will give me something to work towards and a sense of what progress I am making. You can find out more about the language level I am aiming for, and how far I managed to get so far, here. |
why bother?You'd think I'd have a convincing answer to that question, wouldn't you?
I think the reason I’m doing this is that I’ve always been interested in language learning and turning 50 was a good excuse to take on a one-year project to see how much I can learn from scratch in a year and which techniques work and which do not. At least, that’s what I tell myself, though I have a prodding suspicion that it might be some sort of delayed middle-aged crisis. Like the one those sweaty men in lycra you see doing triathlons appear to be going through, as they attempt to prove that they still have vigour before it finally deserts them. Maybe this is my way of proving to myself I’ve still got a few synapses firing; my brain’s last hurrah. Still, as middle aged crises go, it’s cheaper than the Porche I couldn’t possibly afford and much less damaging than the affair I suspect I’d struggle to arrange (even before growing a Covid 19 lockdown beard). Having said that, from the way my adoring wife tells me she’s dreading this project, perhaps all crises are a concern and should be rethought? Too late now … |
how will this MODEST feat be achieved?By using every approach I can think of, including:
…. and anything else that I can think of or that I find a recommendation for along the way. I'm calling this the Gamut Method - running the full gamut of approaches from A to Z. I reckon I can put in between a half an hour and an hour a day, but I'll also try to use as much downtime as possible - driving to and from work, queuing at the supermarket, doing that strange gaspy loping thing I call "running" ... |
WHERE IS THIS ALL TAKING PLACE?In Dublin, Ireland. Though I might try to get a sneaky trip to Spain in once this lockdown ends, Strictly for research purposes. All tax deductible.
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when is this happening?I'm starting on 6 April 2020 and will finish a year later and see how far I've managed to get.
Well, actually it will be a bit over a year, as it looks like the next Instituto Cervantes exams will be in May 2021, and you seem like the kind of person who won't believe I did this if I don't post proof from a reliable source. |
how can i get in contact with charles garavan?
It's not at all clear why you would want to. If you read the "Who" section at the very top of this page, then when he said that taxation and company law were fun, major alarm bells should have started to ring ...
But, if you can't be dissuaded, and if you promise that you're not a troll, OK ... fill in the form below.
Or, even better - why not have him get in touch with you by subscribing to the newsletter.
But, if you can't be dissuaded, and if you promise that you're not a troll, OK ... fill in the form below.
Or, even better - why not have him get in touch with you by subscribing to the newsletter.
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