"What will you do next year that you've been putting off for too long?"

Originally posted here, as part of the 20sb blog swap.

I didn't have to think too long about this -- even though as I rapidly approach 30, there's so many things I have been putting off for too long.  Putting off anything is probably putting it off too long! Among the many things are *Get into shape *Travel more *Get (or create) a job I enjoy rather than at best tolerate *Take part in a new fundraising adventure (like Peru '09).  

However, this isn't to be a list.  Me and lists haven't ever really been friends.  Instead I want to focus on just one thing that I have been putting off for longer than I'd care to admit.  I was inspired to think of it by this blog's charming host, Andy -- a Latin lady living life in France. What I will do next year that I have been putting off for too long is properly learn another language.  

Oh, sure. I learned French for several years at school, so I can walk into a hotel and say "I have a room reservation", I can ask what time the next train for Dieppe leaves.  I can order a meal, and I can make very limited conversation about my family.  But as soon as I am asked a question -- like is your reservation for a smoking or non-smoking room -- then being able to say "the cat is on the chair, the mouse is under the table, and the monkey is on the branch" is suddenly less helpful.  And despite all this talk of learning French, what I really want to learn is Spanish. I have been saying for years I will learn Spanish.  Most of the time it was "just because", because I like Spanish movies and the way the language sounds, or because I was going to Seville, or going to Peru, but like so many things (*ahem*, see above) it's never really happened.  Mainly due to laziness.  Before I went to Seville, I left it so late that the only language course I could get was some scratched CDs of Latin American -- so I was undoubtedly ordering tapas in Latin American Spanish with an Essex accent.  If I had kept going with the course, it would have come in very handy when I travelled to Peru a few years later. Peru was something that I had kept saying I was going to do, but I think people never really thought I would -- because I'm a dreamer and like to dream up big adventures but they don't materialise.  However, I was inspired by some mutual friends who did amazing things to raise money for charity and I went ahead and did it.  And like I say -- it was with very limited Spanish.  From my love of Spanish language films I could insult people in the various ways, and I could do the normal touristy things.  But it's not good enough for me now.    

This year we were meant to take a week's holiday in Barcelona, the girl and I, but unfortunately it got cancelled due to unforeseen volcano-related disruption.  I meant to learn Spanish before that holiday as well, and never did, and at the time I remember saying that at least this way I'd have time to really learn it for when we do go.  Any progress with that?  None so far.  2011 will change that.  I will be a man of my word, and a man of action.  Mostly because I am telling so many people -- and now a new internet audience -- about it that I will have no excuse not to.  One of my new colleagues at work is Spanish, as is one of my biggest clients, so there are very good reasons to do these things I promise. This time next year I will be saying more than just "Hablo un poco", "Dos cerveza, por favor", "Mi casa es su casa", "Si vende tormenta!"   or, my favourite, "No entiendo".  I don't want to just be functional, or conversational, and while I recognise that "fluent" is a big ask, if you aim for the moon and you miss, then at least you are among the stars.  

It's strange, in a way.  As time goes on I am discovering passions and interests that surprise me.  This isn't nearly as off-topic as it is going to seem.  

I mean, I have always liked words.  I loved being read to as a child, and from an early age I was making up stories.  When on a Monday morning we'd be asked to write about what we did at the weekend, if we did nothing interesting we could write about a game we played -- and I would from there write long, involved stories about the game I played with my Star Wars figures.  I read almost constantly, and while I regret now not being more diverse in my reading material, it's obvious that I have always been fascinated with reading and writing stories.  But what has only really begun to emerge out of that since my teens is a particular fascination with words themselves -- entirely apart from the stories they make up.  In more recent years, my fascination has extended to words in other languages -- their sounds are like poetry on their own, and books like 'Toujours Tingo' have opened my eyes to a galaxy of meanings and thoughts expressed through simple words. Had this interest been there from an earlier age, perhaps I would have taken language studies more seriously or given thought to things like becoming a translator.  

It's worth mentioning that other things that have bloomed in more recent years is an attraction to adventure sports (I was notoriously bad at sports when I was at school) and a reawakening of a childhood love of space.  But that's all beside the point.  

Returning one final time to the point, I have been putting off for far too long learning Spanish (and from there, the world! perhaps) but it's here in black-and-white. It's been put off for far too long, but next year I will learn Spanish.  

And hopefully also get into shape, sign up for another adventure, and all the rest.