Where am I?

To celebrate Tokyo winning the Olympic bid, we decided to treat ourselves to one of our favorite Japanese dishes, Okonomiyaki. It's like a pizza/omelet hybrid. It's a food that requires the right ingredients (namely okonomiyaki sauce) and so pulling it off in a foreign country can be very difficult.
The other day as we were wandering around the city, we found an Asian market, they had all the necessary ingredients for all of Ben and my favorite foods. I have a feeling we'll be spending a little too much of our time and money there, as it is less then a block from where we buy our groceries every day.
Our okonomiyaki was delicious, we used uncured bacon strips, cabbage, and shallots to make it as authentic as possible. I miss Japanese food, I dream about it. One of the great things about living in a large city, is that there are people from all over the world, slowly Ben and I have been finding some really authentic Japanese restaurants, so we'll be able to eat the food of the land of the rising sun.

 If you are interested in making your own okonomiyaki, check out the recipe below.
Cooking with Dog, video tutorial.

Olympic Bid 2020

The three cities bidding for the 2020 Olympics were Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo. I liked the idea of any of these cities hosting the Olympics, and so yesterday as the final announcements came in I waited with baited breath.
We had seen signs about Tokyo's candidacy when we were there, and were excited to see Madrid's candidacy when we got here.
Here in Madrid they closed down one of Madrid's major streets, in preparation for the announcement. Concerts were held, parades were marched, it was all a very exciting lead up to the announcements starting at 9:30.
The first elimination happened at 9:30, and Madrid was the first to be eliminated. Istanbul and Tokyo got to make a second bid for their cities, and it wasn't until over an hour later that it was announced that Tokyo won the bid for the 2020 Olympics.
Tokyo will be a great host for the Olympics, and I'm really excited to see what this will do for their country, and the opening ceremonies. It made me a little homesick for Japan thinking about it.
Congratulations Tokyo!

Wander with me

Yesterday Ben and I took a walk, with the idea that we would take pictures of all the little details we saw as we wandered. Here are the pictures we took.

 

 

We found a Don Quixote Statue

The Life of Art

 Madrid is teaming with art. Sculptures top buildings, beautiful paintings adorn walls, filigrees and faces peak out of corners. It feels like the city is alive, and as each building is born, the decorations that cover it become more defined. Near our apartment right now is a building that is being restored, and it all but confirms my theory that art just grows out of the sides of buildings. I walk by it often to check out the progress, excited to see how the art has evolved.

Baby Art

Are Adults or Children More Capable Language Learners?

It has long been held that young learners are more adept at learning languages than older learners. This is a discouraging notion to adults who often feel they have missed their opportunity to learn a foreign language. The idea that children are more capable learners is supported only by claims that limit the definition of language. Defining language, in a more natural way, by incorporating language aspects other than accent recognition, it is evident that adult learners are more capable language learners than young children.

Studies have shown that people are born with the capability to understand and recognize sound patterns in any language, but as they grow older they lose the ability to differentiate sounds not found in their native tongue (Kuhl, 2011, Flege, Yeni-Koshian & Liu, 1999, Singleton & Ryan, 2004, University College London, 2005). Though experts disagree on the ages and degree to which learners lose the ability to understand sound patterns in foreign languages, there are no credible studies that argue that sound pattern recognition is easier for older language learners than younger. This is only relevant to accent development within the language, and those that claim it reflects a greater difficulty in language acquisition as a whole for adults, are doing so without evidence to support that claim.

Because younger language learners are more capable at understanding sound patterns, a general assumption has been that this reflects a greater ability to learn languages. When we take a broader definition of language that includes depth of vocabulary, correct grammar usage, and the general ability to communicate, it becomes clear that adults are more adept language learners than children (Krashen, Long & Scarella, 1979). It should also be noted that second language acquisition is fundamentally different in children and adults, as language development with age follows different mental and cognitive patterns (Archibald, Roy, Harmel, Jesney, Dewey, Moisik & Lessard, 2006). Methods useful for teaching children may not be effective when teaching adults, just as many methods for teaching adults are not effective when teaching children.  When fluent is defined as the ability to express oneself easily and accurately, it is clear that many factors outside of sound patterns must be considered (Fluent, def. 1 Oxford). Language learners under the age of five cannot be considered fluent in any language, and cannot be expected to achieve fluency in a second language due to developmental constraints.

Adult learners should be made aware that language acquisition is a matter of time dedication. If less than ninety-five hours per year are dedicated to the target language, an increase in proficiency will not be observed (Archibald, Roy, Harmel, Jesney, Dewey, Moisik & Lessard, 2006). With adult students discussing how much time needs to be devoted to a language will give them an idea of their comparative progress, and may work as a motivational tool for students. Communication about the language, and emotional aspects of the language are useful tools with adults, as it helps them understand how to help themselves.

 Students focused on perfect pronunciation should be reminded that in order to communicate fluently, precise but not perfect pronunciation is required. Teachers should encourage adult students to focus on comprehensible pronunciation, and remind their students that accents that do not hinder a native listeners’ comprehension, are natural, and not an obstacle when communicating. Teachers should focus on correcting pronunciation when it is unintelligible, or if the mistake comes not from the students’ native language, but from not understanding how to sound out a written word.

Adult learners would benefit from being made aware, that like their native language, perfect language usage is not necessary for fluency, and should continuously focus on the aspects of the language that make them more capable of communicating effectively. Thus, it is appropriate to begin teaching colloquialisms, phrasal verbs, and slang before the student has mastered grammar, as they are more crucial aspects of communicating and understanding a foreign language than many aspects of grammar. Adult learners who may feel discouraged by their short-comings in a foreign language should be reminded that fluency and native speech are not the same thing, and that the more noble goal is fluency which will allow them to communicate with anyone fluent in that language.

When time is held as a constant, adults are more capable language learners than children (Krashen, Long & Scarella, 1979). The more time spent on a foreign language, the more capable a person will become regardless of age. The benefit of beginning to learn a language earlier in life is that it gives more time to devote to the language, and one may be able speak with a better accent. Adult language learners are able to achieve fluency much faster than children and to say otherwise is not only false, it is discouraging. Adult learners should be made aware of their ability to learn languages, and encouraged to keep at them.

Archibald, J., Roy, S., Harmel, S., Jesney, K., Dewey, E., Moisik, S., & Lessard, P. (2006). A review of the literature on language learning. Alberta Education, Retrieved from http://education.alberta.ca/media/349348/litreview.pdf

Flege, J. E., Yeni-Koshian, G. H., & Liu, S. (1999). Age constraints on second-language acquisition. Journal of memory and language, 41, 78-104. Retrieved from http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0749596X99926384/1-s2.0-S0749596X99926384-main.pdf?_tid=474e36b0-0d91-11e3-b281-00000aab0f26&acdnat=1377440517_12d30206c6a150c1ee7f6fe196f9cf02

Krashen, S., Long, M., & Scarella, R. (1979). Age, rate and eventual attainment in second language acquisition. TESOL Quarterly, 13(4), Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3586451?uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102580675833

Kuhl, P. (2011). The linguistic genius of babies [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html

Fluent [Def. 1]. (n.d.). Oxford Dictionaries. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/fluent?view=uk

Singleton, D., & Ryan, L. (2004). Language acquisition: The age factor. (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.

University College London (2005, June 15). Adults Can Be Retrained To Learn Second Languages More Easily, Says UCL Scientist. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 25, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2005/06/050615060545.htm

Parque del Retiro

Today felt good! Ben and I finally made it over to Parque del Retiro, a big park less then a 20 minute walk from our apartment. Today was a perfect day to go, it was hot in the sun, and a perfect temperature in the shade. We got there at about noon, and ended up spending the entire day there. The park is massive, you could walk all day in there and still have things to do the next. A portion of it is French style, but the majority is much more open and natural. 

 

The statues in the park are amazing, more dynamic than most monuments I have seen. The fountains are also impressive,variety of styles, from traditional Greek themes, to geysers.

It's made of money and bones...

 There are a few buildings in the park, that contain art exhibits. We went into one that had some modern installations, most of which either freaked me out, or greatly annoyed me. I really didn’t like them. The Crystal Palace which usually contains art was preparing for its next installation, so we weren’t able to go in. It looked beautiful empty, so I look forward to coming back when it is full of art. 

Ben and I knew we wanted a break from the hustle of the city, and packed our lunch, books, and cameras for the park. We like many of the other visitors, took a lovely siesta on the soft grass. It was very rejuvenating to be removed from the sounds of traffic, pedestrians, and street vendors. 

In the park there were many fantastic musicians. There is an outstanding level of musicianship in this country, and it is a treat to be able to walk through a beautiful landscape, while listening to outstanding musicians.

Memorial for the March 11th victims

Hasta luego Parque del Retiro!

Fiesta in San Sabastion de los Reyes

Ben and I went to another celebration this weekend. This one was just outside of Madrid, in San Sabastion de los Reyes. This celebration was even more impressive than the others, there were tons of rides, tons of food, and lots of drinking. This celebration was in preparation for a running of the bulls, on Saturday morning, but we did not make it to that part.

It was more of a commitment to go to this celebration than the others because once we were out there we couldn't return home until the trains opened at six in the morning.
Ben and I had a great time. I was in awe of how unlike America the festival was, people were walking around with booze, getting on rides you could clearly injure yourself on, and dancing in the streets.

You could win a leg of Jamon!

My favorite of all the unlike America rides were the bumper cars. Instead of forming a line and waiting until an attendant told you which car to enter. Everyone waited until most of the cars stopped, and then it was a free for all to get into a car before they started crashing into each other again. The bumper cars went way faster then the cars in the states, which meant the crashes were much more intense. One of the times we were hit, I fell most of the way out of the car. I have bruises from the ride, but I would definitely go on it again. Spaniards don't really scream on rides, and not at all in the bumper cars, but my (American) friend and I couldn't help ourselves, every time we were about to crash, we would start screaming. Once the other riders noticed our disproportionate responses to the crashes, we became the targets, which was both fun and terrifying.