Sunday, July 7, 2013

Still Minimizing Resources and Proud of It

I dreamed about a Norwegian dictionary. Nothing too fancy - just a tiny one for now, maybe published by Langenscheidt, since I already have affinity towards their language products. Something that would help me look up the words I hear on Pimsleur recordings so that I don't have to keep imagining what they look like until I come across the same word in one of the online sources I use. Something that could be easily hidden in a pocket and used quite surreptitiously until I'm ready to properly announce my endeavor to my immediate surroundings (having a blog about it is not the same as telling people who have dibs on at least some of my free time, which will no longer be free if I decide to turn this endeavor into a mission and make it last longer).

I know just where I could purchase such a dictionary.

It was a beautiful dream. That will remain a dream until my 2 weeks are up. If after that time I decide to stick with it, I will reward myself. Until then I will continue with my resolution to not use anything I don't already have.

Even though part of me is feeling starved for resources, I find it curiously freeing to have as little as I decided to have for this project. I'm never at a loss for what to use - if I'm at the computer, I use Norwegian on the Web; if I'm in transit (on the train, walking), I listen to Pimsleur. Very few choices make for some quite efficient studying. In fact, it's making me rethink my to-date language acquisition method, where I would try to get everything I could find on and in my target language and then I never managed to find enough time to use those resources properly - just because I had more books and CDs than time. I'm liking this minimalist approach. I still want to find some Norwegian radio or TV on the web so that I can get used to the melody of the language but aside from that I have to cautiously admit that I'm set.

Yesterday I learned how to say that I'd like something to eat and drink.

This new knowledge gave me much comfort.