Rosetta, you're killing me

You know how you're cruising along, thinking you're making progress, then BLAM! Go to Jail, do not pass Go, pay $200. I want to reach through my computadora and strangle Rosetta.

Maybe it's not entirely her fault, but I have to blame someone. My nifty air traffic controller-like headset broke a couple weeks ago. Something on the earpiece broke causing it to slip off my ear. There were also some exposed wires that worried me ~ I don't fancy the idea of being electrocuted. So, I splurged and bought a new set at Radio Shack this weekend.

What was once a mindless repetition of Spanish sounds and words has become a frustrating act of futility. I was *dinged* a billion times when saying simple words I have said correctly only yesterday! I became so self-conscious, I couldn't do anything right. Like when you repeat something over and over that it doesn't make sense anymore. El perro esta debajo de la cama (The dog is under the bed) said repeatedly is simply mind-numbing. I scored a 51% on that speaking activity, and for a gal who was an honor student in high school, this is just humiliating. I swore a lot today, words that also got *dinged* for mispronunciation.

Perhaps it's worked into the software - that what was once bad, but acceptable, pronunciation is now tweaked in more advanced lessons so that only perfect imitation is acceptable. Maybe it's my new headset. Most likely. Or maybe I've lost my accent. I can understand why people want to give up on languages when they hit a roadblock. Is this really worth it?

I remember going to France with a friend and she ordered a croissant from our attractive, yet haughty waitress. The waitress screwed up her face as if thinking, "what in the world can this woman be talking about? It sounds foul!" I stepped in and repeated cwassan all nasally, and the waitress finally understood. It shook my friend so much, that she did not utter another word en française the entire trip. Most people in France were not like that. Most of them appreciated our efforts in speaking their language, then replied to us in English. So, we have a little accent problem, Rosetta. Get over it!

After slamming things around the house and more swearing, I'm trying to convince myself it's worth the effort. After all, I did spring for the program, which wasn't cheap. I am committed to Our Lady of Guadalupe dance troupe. And I have a personal commitment to this blog. Am I going to write about quitting? How, when the going got tough I gave up? That a little difficulty made me roll over in despair? That would be a fine example to my children!

I called Rosetta to get a headset replacement, and she was most accommodating. I told her of the technical malfunction with the Shack headpiece, and how I was on the verge of desperation. She promised to deliver a new one in a week or so.

So, the slogging continues.....
¡Adios!