So, it seems I can speak Spanish now. At least at the intermediate B1 level. But considering that you only need A2 to obtain Spanish citizenship, that’s not too bad.
I was disappointed that I almost failed the written part. Maybe I completely missed the topic and rambled on about something else. But it may also reflect the way I learned Spanish: mostly by speaking and talking, not in any formal setting, although I did use the Assimil book.
That I got higher marks for talking than listening shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has met me. ;-) Maybe I just got the full score because there was no other way to shut me up. Or the Instituo Cervantes recognized that I spoke with a Bolivian accent and thought: “How beautiful to listen to Spanish in its purest and most perfect form!”
But the B1 level is not yet enough to study at a Spanish-speaking university, so I have to continue. If only there were better TV programs in Spanish than those damn telenovelas…
The Happy Hermit 
Muchas felicitades mi amigo!
I’m in Bolivia right now for three weeks in La Paz teaching innovation and entrepreneurship…
Have u tried iTalki.com ?? It’s kinda like Airbnb for language coaching! I get lessons from a lady from Bogota for @$9/hr ($10 if she takes her top off) and it’s really helpful. There r coaches at all levels (even at your expert international spy and jewel thief level!)
Keep well
Best wishes Edward Allen Cell (001) 403 397 5505
Whoa, that’s a sexist comment! :O
But I am happy to hear that you are improving your Spanish. It should make the assignments in Latin America even more interesting and rewarding.
I envy you for being in Bolivia again. I would like to take you hiking in the mountains there, it would literally take away your breath.
I know about iTalki, but you know I am a poor student. :-( But I think I’ll have to do a few sessions focusing on grammar before taking the B2 exam.
By the way, I was just thinking of you today, because I might have an upcoming assignment in Calgary. But I’ll know more about this tonight.
Congratulations, Andreas!
Jackie x
Thank you very much!
It really helped that I love the sound and the structure of Spanish.
You are, in any case, an extremely gifted linguist. And a most assiduous student.
Well, it’s easy to study much when you want to hide from work. ;-)
Bravo. Well done 🙂
Thank you Ma’am!
But to be fair, I picked a relatively easy language.
Easy or not, it’s beautiful.
I agree with that, and I think it made learning easier or at least the motivation was higher.
Felicidades Andreas! y también creo que el español es un idioma muy interesante, la gramática puede resultarte fácil y a veces hasta mecánica, pero tiene palabras distintas para cada cosa o situación, cosa que en el inglés me confunde mucho, una palabra puede traducirse como varias otras diferentes dependiendo del contexto o las palabras que lo acompañan y aprovechando que ya te graduaste..ja ja ja..hago un mensaje amplio.
I’m not surprised you did better in the talking part than in listening. I think this would be expected for the people in your line of work. :)
I’d be extremely worried if I had a lawyer who I didn’t think was at least as good a listener as a talker!
Lawyers should really be good listeners. Actually, that’s my no. 1 recommendation to determine if a lawyer is good or not: does he/she ask lots of questions to find out the details of the case?
But once in court, people expect us to talk, of course.
You lawyer guys are multi-skilled!!’ :)
More so than superheroes, even. ;-)
Yup, no comparison! :)
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