Many of you know that, as fortune would have it, I used to live and work overseas in various places and that I learned several languages (which ones is not important). Everywhere I lived I bordered on being fanatic about learning the language. My whole family were a bunch of weirdos to the other Americans, who tended to believe that talking a little louder and waving currency would get them anything they wanted. Even our kids learned the language, for how else would they get what they really wanted, which was, of course, a glimpse into other people's lives and values and a chance at an international friendship--well, okay, and better bargains at the market, too, LOL.

To digress, the Americans who would behave rudely in public, justifying themselves with "no one knows us here" probably never thought about how thoroughly obvious it was that they were from Thestates. I wonder if they even knew there was another way of thinking and a highway to understanding in learning the host country's language.

Anyhow, I think I've been lucky, but also I've had the opportunity to put in a lot of grinding hard work at learning. I've been told that it takes hearing or reading a word in context at least 60 times to be able to remember it, and vocabulary is the first thing to go with PD. Maybe it's time for me to dust off the old books and start making some more new neural pathways.

And now you tell me it'll help me keep my marbles longer?? Pardon me, but to the woman I used to know who was living in a very nice country but would loudly curse people for not speaking English when they were unfortunate enough to reach her phone as a wrong number: Nanny-nanny poo-poo on you, you ignorant creep! Watch what a bunch of determined sick people can do!!!!

Laughing all the way to the nearest dictionary (medical dictionaries do count),

Jaye

you don't have to learn a new language, crossword puzzles will do, learn to play chess, checkers, anything that is active mentally. Even reading. Passive activities like TV game shows don't do it...so forget about Bob Barker etc. You can get programs for language learning from your local thrift store sometimes because sombody thought they'd like to learn Spanish or whatever and got frustrated. Of course the problem is how will you use it... if you don't use it you lose it. especially true with language. Why not take a correspondence course from your local university? Delve into poetry etc. How about Sheakspear ...that's pretty close to a foreign language. (excuse spelling). I have a friend who reads encyclopedias (another thrift store item). She is up to about Crows now. Maybe you can find an e-mail pen pal in your language of choice... Memorize poetry. More ideas?

Continued from Rosebud's suggestions above: write funny songs or limerics with proper 'feet' and rhymes and rhythm - or try some real, poetic poetry. You don't have to show anyone, it's the rhythm and rhyming that exercise the little gray cells. Write your autobiography - you don't have to show anyone. It will stir up memories you didn't know you had, and if you want to embroider on the truth, you will exercise your imagination.
Think of interesting, provocative questions to post on this forum. Answer the interesting, provocative questions on this forum. This place is one of the best venues most of us have to air opinions and express our thoughts on a myriad of subjects within and surrounding PD, and to exchange and discuss ideas on and off the subject of PD. To feel compelled to formulate thoughts, and to put those thoughts into a coherent post is pure brain nectar.
Old questions remembered:'The meaning of life'- 'Eccentric aunts, uncles, grandparents' - 'What kind of hat do you wear?' (that one was Jaye's) - 'Early memories'- 'Ethics and morality' - 'People's kindness witnessed' - People's thoughtlessness witnessed' and on and on.
Next!

birte