Summer adventures 2015 - part 1: Dutch learning

Summer has come again and it is the first time I don't feel useless, since I am working full time since February!! I have to say that I am fighting SAD with a lot of confidence this year. But I'll write about both in another post.
Like every summer, I am not teaching much, since almost all my students are on holiday. School exams are over, language exams are over  I only have one student taking exams next month (and I am writing about her some other time as well), so this means free more evenings for me.
Free time is limited, but at least there is some free time.
This summer I have "discovered" a site called "Future Learn" , where you can actually learn a lot of interesting things. I enrolled in various courses and the first one which had my complete attention was a beginner course for Dutch. I had started Dutch a long time ago, even before my son was born, with a private tutor at home!! I loved the language - I always considered it something between English and German. Let's say an easy German or a difficult English....

• If you speak both languages, this can be both a blessing and a problem. It gives you the sense that you can understand everything, but sometimes the words that remind you of a familiar word mean something else. There are a lot of false friends between Dutch and German / English.  For example: 

Bellen: in German it means "bark", in Dutch it means "call on the phone"
Meer: in German "sea", in Dutch "lake"
beef : in English the meat beef, in Dutch "tremble", "earthquake"
boom: in English a big sound, in Dutch the "tree"

• Dutch Grammar is a n easy version of German in my opinion. If you know the rules in German, this is a piece of cake
•  Pronunciation IS a big problem. I still can't pronounce words like "mooi" or "huis" correctly. It needs a lot of practice. 
• Listening comprehension is also a problem, if you listen to native speakers, since they talk really fast for a beginner and there are sounds you cannot even pronounce yourself!!!

All in all I am happy with my progress... 
This course is designed for 3 weeks, which in my opinion is impossible, since it also has a lot of video lessons and detailed Quizlet exercises.
 They are also giving you the chance to get a certificate with a small cost, which I am probably going to do. 
So, that's it for now!
You can find information about the differences between Dutch and German / English over here and here!!

BTW with this one, I have managed to fulfill 18 of my 30 New Year's small goals!!  

Keep learning and enjoy your summer!

Weekends #reflectiveteacher #paragraphblogging

While browsing on the net to find something to write about, I found a really interesting blogging challenge.  Although this challenge has ended last year, found some very challenging questions I would LOVE to answer!!!
First one... What role do weekends and holidays play in your teaching??
To be honest, I can't tell that I am having a rest at the weekends!! I continue working, sometimes even more hours on Saturdays...
Sundays are a bit different, I usually have the mornings off...
This means, I do not teach, but, I have to do the housework (cook, clean, do laundry and everything I cannot do on weekdays), plus studying an planning for the next week, a webinar or a seminar maybe and off to teach in the late afternoon...
I don't know if this helps...
On the one hand, weekends and holidays are important, first because we need the rest and the time to do what we like, "re-charge" batteries...
On the other hand I am a person who cannot actually sit around do nothing... Some people are like that, they return home from work and just lie down or sit on the couch and do not move...
Sometimes I am so tired from work and I sleep really early, but if I stay laze for more than a day, I get crazy....
I try to find ways to keep busy...
Summer holidays make me mad!!!
So I don't really know if weekends and resting actually help my teaching except maybe that it gives me time to plan the next week...
(I am strange, I know....)