For the past few years, I've been really looking forward to going to Expo 2008 in Zaragoza, Spain. Depending on when I go, I'm hoping to also catch the San Fermin festival and run with the bulls. Anyway, I scored a 5 on the AP Spanish exams (my teacher was amazing, too, and focused more on a broad approach to linguistics in general instead of just the exam) and I've visited Mexico for extended stays. I've experimented with the Spaniard accent... but I've only had one conversation with a Spaniard, and I didn't use it.

I'm still able to read and write pretty well; however, I'm very shy with speaking it and while I take great pains to not butcher the language like I've heard many of my peers do, I'm still worlds away from being able to converse normally with any of my Hispanic friends.

So I'm trying to find ways to brush up and improve my command of the language on the cheap and without taking any classes at Uni (my courseload is full) by about this time next summer with the hopeful goal of at least being able to get around on my own without having to always rely on English. Telemundo might help at first, but I guess I need to find Spanish stuff, not Latin American stuff. I might look into Meetup groups, too.

Anyway, one of the ways I was thinking of starting out easy would be to join a Spanish language forum. But then it hit me: Could I not become a bizarro world reverse-version of SF_GoldG on this forum?!? Perhaps all my comments there will seem pointless and bizarre. Maybe, if people rebuke me, I'll pull the "gringo abuse" card! Oh, inverted world!

And so this isn't a bashing thread, can anyone else think of suggestions for a Northern Yankee to work on Iberian Spanish?

Best option is classes. It's the best way to surround yourself with people that speak the language constantly. Learning a language by text and forums alone will increase its difficulty and you'll have trouble with colloquial Spanish, not to mention it takes more time. The main thing is to surround yourself with the language, practice every day, speaking, reading, writing, and listening.

Try to find some friends that will voice chat if you can't do classes, like me and Cavey.

Just remember whatever happens in Bizarro World, stays in Bizarro world.
And if you see brochures for Bizarro World in an airport, surely that counts...

Watch movies with Spanish dubbing.

I watched Pan's Labrynth without subtitles and still understood most of it. They all spoke very clearly and slow enough for me to get it.

Go working as a day laborer.