Many people have asked us what we are doing to prepare for all the different languages we will be encountering while in Europe. Well, we haven't been as dedicated as we need to be, but some of the language apps that we have used have been super helpful. Duolingo is one I highly recommend. It's basically a language learning app that gives you multiple languages to choose from. We started out a few months ago trying to learn German as a family. Duolingo has a great reward system using points and medals when you master a certain level. We started by each practicing about 10 minutes a day (You can set it for any amount of time you want and they will email you daily with practice reminders). Jason and Alia got super competitive for a while, waking up each day eager to get their minutes in, trying to stay just a few points in front of the other. ;) Meanwhile, Jada and I hung back in last place, but we got a kick out of watching Dad and Alia compete. Anyhow, it's a free app and I definitely recommend it in case you ever want to learn a new language or even brush up on some rusty high school Espanol.
Another thing we've done is checked out CD's and books from our local library on various countries/languages. We figure the more we know going into this, the better. It's been really fun exploring and learning about different cultures, languages and customs and it gets us super pumped for what lies ahead. On a side note... Our French is terrible, but we are trying!
A few Sundays ago, I was even motivated to create this little Language Collage. I had the girls each draw a picture of the French and German flags and we hung them on our back door (making it easier to see and use). We chose some of the most commonly used words and phrases to create a master list for learning and we've been plugging away with high hopes to be able to communicate. The real test begins when we get there, but we figured we better start practicing now. Anyhow, wish us luck! We're gonna need it. :)
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