school is pretty useless - i had 2 years of HS and 2 years of college and still couldnt hold a conversation - wasnt till i worked in restaurants and started traveling to mexico. i expoed, which is basically the middle-man b/t the kitchen and the servers, so i learned alot from those guys. they werent even fluent english speakers so i think we helped each other out. but the spanish i learned was street/slang - when i was in europe i met some spaniards who were actually taken aback by how crude my spanish was. im convinced that immersion is the only way to really get it - ive done alot of traveling in mexico and everytime i go i pick up new stuff and improve. and ive noticed that if i dont go to mexico for a year or two that ill lose some of it, but once back there it all comes back. tv is great too - especially watching the simpsons in spanish - since i already know most of the episodes it makes it easier to pick it up. and hearing how they do all the voices is hilarious. my friend works in a mexican restaurant and once asked the cooks to prepare some eggs soft, so he said 'juevos suave', which basically translated as 'soft balls' - he never heard the end of it.
