A Forest in the city

Unable to go to the beach because of the sudden drop in temperature,(Adriatic Sea was at 19 Celsius, now for me and Beli that's a bit chilly!) park Bene located within the wooded area in Marjan hill has been our new favorite summer distraction.



To reach the park from the gated entrance it took us about 50 minute walk, I'm speaking toddler time, because at a good pace you could be there in about 25 minutes. Our trek included many stops along the way as Beli was inquisitive about her surroundings. She asked, "Mami que es?" as she pointed to a butterfly, I would reply, "es una mariposa or es un arbol, another tree." I really enjoyed these moments because not only was it a learning experience but also a way to bond, daughter and mommy.

I love the idea of having benches along the way, looks welcoming to read a book right?

We spotted a few swimmers in this area I like to refer as la playa secreta, the secret beach.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! I will be in the kitchen creating a few more recipes with tomatoes and jalapenos. What plans do you have? oh yeah and see you next month, August is just around the corner!

It's fun learning 3 languages......

So my trilingual toddler and I seem to be having a bit of difficulty with our communication skills. I'm trying to make an effort to strictly speak Spanish to her but sometimes my Spanglish-Croatian gets the best of me. Today our dialogue went something like this:

Me: "Beli vamos a comer." (let's eat)

Beli: "no quieres!" ( she doesn't want to ....but what she means to say is I don't want to)

Me: "porque no?" ( why not)

Beli: "No quieres!" (She doesn't want to)

Me: "let's eat papa, y eggs y jugo!" (let's eat potatoes, eggs and juice)

Beli: " jaja mama" (not ja-ja in Spanish like haha it's funny!....but ya-ya meaning.. eggs)

After breakfast, we folded the laundry, read books and learned how to put our shoes on. She wanted to do everything Sama (alone). "Bela sama," she said. And while we are on the topic of being independent let me share my little nervous breakdown I had earlier today.

The same overwhelming feelings I felt when preparing for the Naplex Board Exam 5 years ago were back. I felt nervous, anxious, scared! I'm worried I won't pass my Level II Croatian language class. Most of what I have learned was lost on transit to America. It's important for me to do well because learning the language will be the bridge that connects me to my Husband's family, to his country. I don't want to be left behind in the conversations amongst my daughter and hubby or with the grandparents. And then I remembered a discussion my friend Nando and I had earlier in the week, "You are not Superwoman, so don't put that pressure on yourself,"he said in reference to my wanting to be 'perfect' in every aspect of my life. And he is right, I need to find balance in everything I do.

So I picked up my camera and focused on my daughter. I looked at her little hands and thought, " so tiny and yet so powerful." Then my fears faded away. "It's going to be ok," I told myself. How do you find balance in your life?

Hubby and Beli walking from the beach.

Marjan Hill located near the Diocletian Palace will be the meeting point for my friends and I tomorrow at 9am for our morning walk. Want to join us? Afterwards we will be drinking coffee and reviewing for our exam next week. Then later in the afternoon Hubby, Beli and I will be driving to Bribir (where his grandparents live) for an evening under the stars. Saturday we'll be visiting Skradin and Sibenik. Busy weekend! What are your plans?

And here are a few lovely blogs from around the world.

It's a Bilingual Carnival.

Get your cup of expresso and enjoy this view in Italy.

I dream of Spain.

Another Atlanta weekend.

Saying goodbye is part of being an Expat.

Something to think about, The Gore Effect.

A great story.

Traveling, writing, living in a boat in England

School Report

It has been over a month since I began my Croatian lessons at the Prokurative and it's time for a progress report. A week ago I actually said these words "I don't want to go to school!" Monday was an intense lesson and I felt frustrated and defeated. It was after this lesson that I dreaded for Wednesday to arrive. The professor had us thinking on our feet literally. She had all twelve of us students standing in a circle and we were to go around and ask each other about our body parts.
Sto je to? (what is this?)
To je Glava. (this is the head) Ovo je celo, oko, nos, (this is forehead, eye,nose,etc..)

While I knew most of this from teaching Isabela the next exercise was the frustrating one. We had to introduce one classmate to the rest of the class, this meant conjugating verbs correctly and so on....I didn't do very well.........

"Why didn't I prepare or study more?" I asked myself. Well should I count the reasons? First, because I am lazy (yes, I am admittingly saying so) and second because I am dedicating most of my time to Isabela. If I am not constantly supervising her, I am worried she will fall and injure herself. We don't need another cut on her forehead.

So far this is what we have learned:

Zanimanju/profession (feminine and masculine form example: singer you say pjevac/pjevacica)

Nationality. "I am from Mexico, I am Mexican." translation "Ja sam iz Meksika. Ja sam Meksikanka." Sounds hilarious!!!!!! Try it, Mek-si-kanka.

Naming Colors, fruits and vegetables

Conjugating the verbs ending in -iti and -jeti. Examples include govoriti, (to speak) and voljeti (to like, to love). You drop the -iti and add -im so govoriti is govorim (ja govorim-I speak). For voljeti you drop the -jeti and add -im.
(Volim TE -I love you)

I did a bit of research about the best method for learning a new language. I needed a bit of motivation. I read an article which stressed the importance of speaking, even if you don't know the meaning of words, because this will give you the opportunity for a more comprehensive experience. So the culture, T.V, newspapers, talks on the street, everything takes a new meaning.

After reading this article I felt motivated to commit more time to learning the Croatian language.

Have you lived overseas and struggled in speaking the native language? What methods worked for you?