Being a kid again

          As many of you know, I am attempting to learn Croatian. I say attempting because Croatian happens to be one of the hardest languages to learn. And since I have never really learned a language before (Spanish in high school doesn't really count), I am learning how difficult it really is. But my tutor is great and slowly (VERY SLOWLY), I am picking up a few words and phrases. My newest plan is to attempt to read children's books. I figure they can't be that hard and I love reading, so this is the perfect way to learn! I have a few children's Bibles and today a friend checked out this book about bicycles from the library for me to read. Luckily, it has easy words and lots of pictures. Even so, I am still struggling with the all the words. 

          Another thing that makes me feel like a kid again is the essay I had to write last weekend for my homework. My tutor knew I was going to the zoo, so she gave me zoo words and told me to write about my time. This is my essay. "Idem u zoo s mojim prijateljem. Vidimo puno životine. Moja najdraža životinja je žirafa. Dvije žirafe su u zoo-u u Osijeku. Mojem prijatelju se sviđa tigar. Tigar spava. Majmuni u kavezu su smiješni. Blizu lava je medvjed. Tamo su tri vuk. Jedan vuk je ljut. Ne hranimo životinje. Ptice su zanimljive i lijepe. Ribe su dosadne. Mi ze zabovljamo."

          Translated, this reads, "I go to the zoo with my friend. We see lots of animals. My favorite animal is the giraffe.  There are two giraffes in the zoo in Osijek. My friend likes the tiger. The tiger sleeps. The monkeys in the cage are funny. Next to the lion is the bear. There are three wolves. One wolf is angry. We did not feed the animals. The birds are interesting and pretty. The fish are boring. I had fun." As you can tell, I do not know past tense yet and my transitions are a little rough. But for being here under four weeks, it is not too bad. I am anxious for the time when I just know Croatian, but that will only come with time and much practice. So for now, I will try to enjoy being a kid again.