What now? Should I go straight on to level 2?
Yes. Lesson 1 of level 2 is actually easier than lesson 25 of level 1.
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Thatās a relief, too! - if you werenāt, it would mean it was too easy and not putting your brain under optimal pressure 
I can go off people you know 
Right Iām off to do level 2 - not sure if Iām looking forward to it or not?
We do like to torture our learners, just for the fun of seeing them start talking Spanish in self-defenseā¦
Thanks @garrettpless it feels like quite an achievement when you finish level 1 and great to hear you are nearly there too!
How are you finding the challenges?
Are you finding this pace ok? - I am starting to slow down now (partly life getting in the way), partly from needing time to let level 1 sink in I think!
Good luck with 24 and 25 - they are brain melters 
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Thanks @Clare, I have just finished 25 tonight. I found the last few challenges tough but not out of reach. My wife just told me that āyou need to learn how to relaxā and I responded ānecesito aprender como relajarme?ā and she gave me that look that only spouses can give.
I had two separate face to face conversations with two guys from Mexico and a conversation with a guy from Colombia and one from Ecuador. They were basic conversations but the responses I received were that they were really āno Iām not just saying thatā impressed. Iām feeling pretty good. Looking forward to Level 2. I have two online sessions to talk with someone from EspaƱa and Argentina on Friday and Saturday.
Each time I have a conversation with a spanish speaker I feel my confidence rise and my comfort with the language get stronger. Thanks for the support folks.
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Wow sounds like you are doing brilliantly @garrettpless - congrats on finishining level 1
If only I could pluck up the courage to speak to people too, I think it would help a lot. I find it really difficult to talk to people I donāt know in my native to tongue: let alone Spanish, Iām impressed that youāve just gone ahead and done it - well done you
Iād be interested to hear how you get on Speaking to a Spanish person from EspaƱa, as I am trying to learn to speak Castilian and course 1 is all Latin American, I know the Castilian spanish use ācopasā for drinks for example and rarely use āustedā for chatting.
Are you using italki or something similar for your Skype chats?
Itās great to hear youāre doing so well! Well done and tell me all your language learning secrets
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I love the sound of a new Spanish speaker making their way out into the lightā¦ 
It would, it would, it would! But instead of wanting to speak to lots of people, try to find one person you know and like who would be willing to spend 10 minutes speaking Spanish with you once a weekā¦ and let it grow from thereā¦
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I live in a Florida and have the ability to speak with many Latin Americans but for studying or speaking I usually speak with the nice folks from EspaƱa because I am a morning person and like to study/speak in the morning around 7AM eastern or 1PM in Spain. The folks Iāve been speaking with are friendly and very understanding with my level. For instance today the young lady I was speaking with said I didnāt need to use Usted. I said thank you but that I was more comfortable using it if she didnāt mind and she said no hay problema.
Yes, today I used iTalki however I prefer to use Verbling.com. Verbling uses google hangouts and in my opinion is much easier to use. I also use Gospeaky.com. Both ITalki and Gospeaky are great resources for āfreeā impromptu conversation. You can chat using instant message or go to skype or gospeakyās video application fairly quickly with someone that wants to speak with you. I receive any number of requests to chat each day. It does seem like when iām on either website during the day or earlier in the day I tend to receive requests to chat more frequently than when I do not visit either site. Also, I find that when I pay for a ālessonā with one of the teachers on iTalki or Verbling I get more out of it. These folks are being paid to listen to me and help me with corrections. I donāt have to exchange a language with them and paying for this service allows me to focus only on Spanish which is what itās about for me.
Practice. Iām not great at it but Iām improving. Just practice. Iāve been studying by myself and not speaking much since January of this year. Like I mentioned in a previous post I started Level 1 on July 30 and I today I feel more confident than I did before I started. Some of it has to do with me studying since January. Some of it has to do with SSiS. And speaking with others plays a significant part with my improvement.
If you want someone to speak with someone hereās my skype garrettpless add me and we can hack some spanish together.
Iāll finish this ramble with a story. On June 3rd of this year I received a request on Gospeaky.com, here it is
āHi there! Iām from Spain and I urgently need to find someone to whom I can speak English with but specially anyone who has a little time to do it since for now, Iāve spoken with just one person so I hope we can chat very soon. Of course, I could help you with your Spanish if you need it.ā
I decided to answer this one mostly because of the word āurgentlyā. This message is from a young lady that lives near Barcelona. She speaks very good english and wanted desperately to practice speaking with a native speaker. I thought about requesting an exchange with her because like she said above she would be willing to help. I decided to let her know that it was ok if we only spoke english. My point is that there are others looking for people to speak english with and are willing to exchange language and also there are people like me that are willing to take time out of their schedule to give some help to someone without much in return, though I get a lot from our weekly discussions in english. She and I speak 2 to 3 times a week for about an hour each time and she gets english conversation for free. She also doesnāt have a video camera and I have never what she looks like. I think it is easier to learn by seeing body language and lip movement so I share my video with her when we talk.
In conclusion, summon the courage to speak with someone. I know you can do it. Hereās my skype again garrettpless
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