Foreign Language Requirement

[Nihil Obstat]

I see.  :)

 

What didn't you like about Athens?  Was it dirty or noisy?  I've wanted to visit Paris, France for a long time but almost everyone I talk to says it is high in crime and it's dirty there. 

 

As for the actual places in Greece I want to visit, I would love to visit Crete, Thermopyles, Mycenae, and Athens (because of it being so prominent in Greek Mythology).  I watched Rick Steves' Europe and he visited 10 sites in Greece.  Here are the stops he recommends:

 

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/greece/top_sights.htm

For the short time I was there, my impressions of Athens was that it was dirty, run-down, and most importantly (but least tangibly), it simply did not seem like a very happy city. It felt like the middle of a depression, in both the economic and psychological senses of the word.
Huge different from, say, Corfu, which in contrast seemed very friendly and vibrant. I will not really count Santorini, since it is sort of the tourist destination, and perhaps not very representative.

[Nihil Obstat]

HSdad and I toyed with the idea of learning Esperanto so that our children could be native speakers, but we just never got around to it. :P

Would he and you fit my impression of being "rather strange"? :|

 

:smile3:

[Era Might]

For the short time I was there, my impressions of Athens was that it was dirty, run-down, and most importantly (but least tangibly), it simply did not seem like a very happy city. It felt like the middle of a depression, in both the economic and psychological senses of the word.
Huge different from, say, Corfu, which in contrast seemed very friendly and vibrant. I will not really count Santorini, since it is sort of the tourist destination, and perhaps not very representative.

 

Do they sell Plato and Aristotle kitsch on the streets? Cuz if not they're missing out on a big opportunity to be historical geeks.

[homeschoolmom]

Would he and you fit my impression of being "rather strange"? :|

 

:smile3:

Yes. Yes, we would. :|

 

I wonder if we had done this if we would have been looked at funny for listing four years of formal Esperanto on our kids' high school transcripts. :) I would loved to have had "that conversation" with college admissions... ;)

Edited July 5, 2013 by homeschoolmom

[OnlySunshine]

Nuts!  German is closed for the Fall semester.  :(

[Nihil Obstat]

Do they sell Plato and Aristotle kitsch on the streets? Cuz if not they're missing out on a big opportunity to be historical geeks.

 

I do not recall anything being sold on the streets, actually. I am assuming we were in the wrong areas to see that.

That would be awesome though. An Aristotle bobble-head wearing sunglasses or something.

 

Yes. Yes, we would. :|

 

I am thinking that when Katy and I start having kids, we will have anime playing 24/7 in the house so that the kids grow up speaking native Japanese, like an exaggeratedly cute Japanese high school girl. :|

 

http://youtu.be/TT2GRpwwS8M

 

 

Please nobody think I am serious. I would actually have a mental breakdown.

[homeschoolmom]

Nuts!  German is closed for the Fall semester.  :(

Bummer. If it were me, I would have taken German. I've had oodles of Spanish and French, and only a tiny smattering of German in grade school. It was fun.

 

But I voted for ASL because I think that would actually be more useful.

[Amppax]

Is Esperanto offered? :|

I actually took a crack at learning it one time. Fun times.

[Nihil Obstat]

I actually took a crack at learning it one time. Fun times.

On your own, or did you have a teacher?

[OnlySunshine]

Bummer. If it were me, I would have taken German. I've had oodles of Spanish and French, and only a tiny smattering of German in grade school. It was fun.

 

But I voted for ASL because I think that would actually be more useful.

 

LOL, my mom seems to think otherwise.  She just got home and I talked to her about it.  She took ASL when she was studying to be an elementary school teacher and my grandmother took it when she was studying to be a nurse.  Neither one of them use it and they've forgotten it.

 

However, she seemed to agree that Latin would be a good idea.  My uncle took it for his foreign language requirement and thought it was really useful in English comprehension.  :)

Edited July 5, 2013 by MaterMisericordiae

[EmilyAnn]

Learn Portuguese.

 

It's way better than any of those. :P

[Lil Red]

If she's studying health Latin could actually be useful for all the Latin-rooted medical terms.

 

that's what I was thinking. 

[Amppax]

On your own, or did you have a teacher?

Internet. So both.

[Nihil Obstat]

Internet. So both.

Epic.

[Amppax]

Epic.

I didn't get far. It was some sort of email subscription service type thingy. I've still have links somewhere.