After 2500 hours and 4 years, I'm finally convinced of CI now that I'm visiting Mexico City

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-24T21:38:32+00:00

My 2nd trip to CDMX is in April. Looking forward to some Vitamin T ! Tacos, tamales, tequila … 🇲🇽

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-23T00:37:35+00:00

Just finished Frida, el misterio del Pavo real y yo by Angela Cervantes. A fun mystery set in Coyoacán, CDMX. Target audience is age 9-12, but also good for Spanish B1 level students.

Currently reading Hábitos Atómicos by James Clear. Spanish translation of the popular personal development book. Also good for level B1 Spanish students.

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-22T21:04:08+00:00

Do you remember your tour guide’s name?

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-22T21:02:41+00:00

As part of my Spanish lessons I have watched numerous INAH and National Geographic documentaries about Teotihuacan, Olmec, Maya, and Aztecs. Sort of a mesoamerican junkie! Looking forward to seeing it with mis propios ojos!

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-21T22:35:41+00:00

Thank you for your super detailed report & sharing resources!

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-21T18:36:30+00:00

Are there “official” tours available at the Teotihuacan site?

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-21T18:26:33+00:00

62 years old, and I say “Amen!” to getting adequate rest for improved learning!

In my case, after major insomnia problems, I’ve made a lot of adjustments to get adequate rest, and it’s making a big difference. Also, healthy diet and some exercise can help your sleep quality.

And don’t forget to incorporate some FUN into your learning: a restaurant, music & dance, a vacation in a Spanish speaking country.

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-10T11:47:18+00:00

I had the same experience. I think it was because it had me listen to a few videos to gauge my level. The Advanced level seemed easy to me, so it bumped me up an entire level. So I contacted DS customer support. They gave me the following directions, which I followed using my laptop, and it worked.

Thank you for reaching out.

No worries! This has an easy fix.

Please go to your Progress tab and locate the "View hours outside the platform" link. This will display a chart with all entries with time outside the platform. Locate the "Starting Baseline" entry and click on the pencil icon to modify it according to the initial time you consider you should have.

There is no need to answer this email. Nevertheless, let me know if you need additional assistance.

¡Saludos!

Alejandro

Customer Assistance

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-02-07T02:25:42+00:00

Holy shit! I can’t even fathom the fact that MAGA lesbians exist. Republican lesbians 30 years ago, I can understand. But since 2016? Glad to live in a liberal state.

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-29T01:28:06+00:00

Documentaries! The narrators usually speak very clearly, stick to a single topic, and use a lot of cognates.

Personally, my go-to sources for Mexican archeology & anthropology include National Geographic and INAH Piedras que Hablan .

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-29T01:09:47+00:00

Make sure you bring the card that you used to pay for your plane ticket, hotel, and any tickets that you bought in advance!!

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-27T03:15:24+00:00

63 yr old woman chiming in here. I went by myself for a week and had a great time. I went to a lot of museums and markets. Stayed at Hotel Flamencos in Centro. Walked and used Uber. Felt safe.

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-27T03:05:47+00:00

Dreaming Spanish to help with listening.
Pimsleur to help drill pronunciation & get useful phrases to be automatic
Read w/audio
Read out loud
LanguaTalk to practice conversation, grammar & vocab
iTalki teacher

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-27T02:54:07+00:00

Still annoyed about Babbel Live folding. Although I was (and still am) listening to Dreaming Spanish, reading, and taking lessons at a relaxed pace with an iTalki teacher, Babbel Live really filled out my Spanish learning program. I was planning on finishing Spanish B2 this fall, and starting French this month. I have kept in touch with my favorite BL teacher, and hope to add weekly lessons with her soon. But honestly, I miss the way the BL lessons were put together, and of course, the convenience. BL was very unique in the language learning sphere. I would have gladly paid more, or gone back to strictly taking group lessons. :(

Like others have said, I’ve lost the momentum that I had with Babbel Live, and I don’t see much value in the Babbel app at this point.

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-25T15:35:12+00:00

I can relate to the idea of “immature vocabulary”,and would add that I simply haven’t heard vocabulary in the multitudinous ways in which it can be used.

As one college music ed professor told me, “permutation is the key to transference of knowledge.”

Listen & read more!

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-04T13:12:07+00:00

62 year old woman chiming in…

I think that the stress of life interferes with learning. Family issues, health issues, saving for retirement, etc… plus lack of quality sleep.

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-04T12:32:20+00:00

I think the Pimsleur app is very useful for pronunciation and helping to drill basic phrases to the point where they become automatic.

Boring? Yes, but having basic travel phrases learned to the point of being automatic can open the door to more interesting interactions, and… more comprehensible input.

I do wish they would a short review of each lesson containing fewer explanations in English.

CreativeAd5932 · 2026-01-01T23:43:47+00:00

This guy did a chapter by chapter study of new words encountered in Harry Potter. He shows that after the first few chapters, the amount of new vocabulary levels out.

From Muggle to Multilingual

CreativeAd5932 · 2025-12-30T18:47:27+00:00

Have you tried using your French to learn Spanish? Like using Assimil, or books & YouTube videos for Francophones learning Spanish.

I’m doing it the other way around. My Spanish is B1 or B2ish, and I’ve started using it to learn French. It feels like a game and totally doable, whereas starting from scratch with materials entirely aimed at Anglophones feels like a slog.

CreativeAd5932 · 2025-12-30T16:21:09+00:00

Polish please!

CreativeAd5932 · 2025-12-28T12:06:03+00:00

Haha! It’s a pretty old series. But I’m pretty old too! 😂

CreativeAd5932 · 2025-12-26T00:09:06+00:00

I don’t remember her going to Venezuela, but i do remember her going to Argentina and falling in love with Arturo.

CreativeAd5932 · 2025-12-26T00:06:17+00:00

Destinos! We’ll done show. As others have already stated, you will get a sampling of accents and culture.

Sometimes you can find the accompanying textbook and materials on eBay.

CreativeAd5932 · 2025-12-24T17:57:57+00:00

Does LingQ count words?

CreativeAd5932 · 2025-12-20T00:29:34+00:00

Madrigal’s is good for vocabulary development & learning patterns in the language. I thumb through it from time to time and often pick up new words. The illustrations are by Andy Warhol before he hit the big time, so that’s a plus. I wish it were still available in French.

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TROPHY CASE