How long does it take? Part 3

Is there any real point to all this speculation? Maybe in some odd way I can't think of off-hand. It might scare off people thinking of learning a foreign language, which would be unfortunate.

The point isn't that it takes a long time to learn a foreign language, but that it doesn't take that long to learn a foreign language.

I work as a Programmer Analyst at Sourcelink (which I love, despite my constant bitching). I spend 40 hours each week behind a desk, 5 hours at lunch, 5 hours commuting, etc.

Those 40 hours belong to the company as long as the checks clear. It used to be that the 5 hours of commuting time belonged to the road, and then I started devoting them to Spanish.

That time wasn't mine at any point, because I was stuck behind the wheel. I don't just dislike the commute, but deeply loathe it. Audio Spanish lessons turned that lost time into productive and enjoyable time!

Instead of letting the stress of the commute eat at me (and oh how it did), Spanish lessons have redirected my thoughts in better ways, and my quality of life is better as a result.

After my lessons have run their course, I expect I will reactivate one of my old satellite radio subscriptions and use that time to listen to piped-in Spanish audio in the form of news, music etc.

If you have a half-hour commute like mine, I'd say you can pick up the basics of a second language within as little as four months just by putting that commute to good use.