Have you ever thought ahead about how to keep up with your language learning when you get sick? I feel like it’s rather topical now, as we’re still living in a pandemic (or endemic, depending on your view). Not that you have to keep up with things- and depending on the level of how sick you are, it may be better to rest. Rest days are just as important for your practice throughout the week or month! That said, just a few thoughts from me on how to keep up your language practice.

I recently had a bout of food poisoning (I think? It was hard to tell, but I was suddenly sick for about 24hrs) a few weekends ago. I didn’t get much sleep during the night, and didn’t feel like myself in the morning. Living on my own also meant that I had to clean up after myself and still rouse myself to feed my cat (I recently adopted her and she’s a sweetie).

All that is to say, that I wasn’t feeling up for doing much by the time I had gotten through the worst of it. I was lying on the couch, the cat curled up on my hip as I was stretched out sideways, and had my water and saltines nearby. So I put on some of my favorite movies, but changed the audio to other languages I was practicing! Watching “Kiki’s Delivery Service” in Japanese and French are both adorable in different ways!

It really is a great time to just lie there and recuperate, and listen or read. I read some “Short Stories in Italian” by Olly Richards and read out loud to myself for something to do. The cat was nonplussed to hear my Italian out loud, she only cared that I was still warming her up on the sofa!

Not that I was up to prepping and cooking, but I also looked up comfort & sick foods in other cultures! Like pastina in Italy, a mini pasta cooked in a simple clear broth. There’s always something new to learn about another culture than my own.  

If you’re having a sick day while reading this, I hope you feel better soon! May we all stay safe and healthy these days.

Hasta la prossimo,                                              

Xx baci xx