Our tenth meeting took place at the Christmas market in Tampere. Originally, we had planned to go ice skating, but since the lake wasn’t frozen yet, we decided to give the meeting a different focus. In the end, the Christmas market turned out to be a better choice, as the setting allowed us to practically reflect on our previous meetings and identify what we still missed in our learning goals. The market also gave us the opportunity to sit down for a while, which made it easier to focus and work more effectively.
We started with a walk around the market, revisiting topics from earlier meetings. For example, we discussed the weather, which we had covered extensively during Meeting 3. I enjoyed noticing how much more fluently the weather-related vocabulary came to us this time and how much less hesitation there was. Next, we revisited the colors from Meeting 1 by naming the colors of the Christmas decorations around us. It was interesting to see how this simple repetition in a new context helped reinforce the words in my memory.
After walking around for a while, we decided to go into a tent for something warm to drink and eat. It quickly became clear that sitting down made it much easier to reflect and learn. This gave us the chance to pull out our notes and focus without the distractions of the market around us. I found this balance between being active and sitting down very valuable because it gave the meeting more structure.
During our reflection based on our notes, we realized that we had never actually learned the most basic sentences, like “How are you?”, “Hello,” “Good morning,” “How old are you?”, and “Where are you from?”. We realized that it would have been better to start with these basics, as they provide the foundation for further conversations. Instead, we had jumped straight into more complex topics, which was sometimes challenging.
Looking back on this process, I realize that it would have been helpful to create a detailed plan of what we wanted to cover in each meeting beforehand. While we remained flexible with the topics, a clear structure would have ensured that we addressed important subjects, like basic sentences and grammar, earlier. This would have given us more confidence at the start and helped us use our time more efficiently. That said, I still found it valuable that we included a review of the previous lesson in almost every session and that we spent more time on challenging topics like grammar. It was also useful to treat this last meeting as a final checkpoint.
I also noticed how much value the repetition of material in a new setting, such as the Christmas market, added to the learning process. Words we had learned earlier, like colors and weather-related terms, gained more meaning because we could directly apply them to what we were seeing and experiencing. This practical approach made learning more enjoyable and effective. I think this is an important takeaway for language learning: using the language in everyday, relatable situations makes it much easier to remember.
Although I believe a more structured plan would have helped us, I am satisfied with how we adapted flexibly to the situations we encountered. We were always able to adjust our meetings to the circumstances, like moving from ice skating to the Christmas market. This experience showed us how important it is to leave room for improvisation and to take advantage of the opportunities available in the moment.
In the end, I feel I have achieved all the learning goals I set for myself and have become even more motivated to continue learning Spanish.
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