Reflection on language learning

On February 10, 2009, my teacher gave my class 15 minutes to "reflect" upon language learning.  Now, it's not easy for me to  simply "reflect" on command but, for whatever reason, this time I managed a draft of something. Let me know what you think.
-----------

In language learning, there's a point where everything just "clicks."  Thinking no longer occurs in English but, rather, in the target language (for me, anyway).  When I studied Spanish, it came pretty easily to me.  My last year of college, I took a course on all things Don Quixote, which included reading the 1,000-plus page book.  While I loved reading that book, I struggled with it.  A lot of the language was antiquated and there were so many nuances to get.  Fortunately, because we discussed the book so extensively in class, I believe I was able to absorb most of those nuances (I don't think it would ever be possible to get all of them).  Had I not taken the class, however, I know I would have missed out on a lot of the book's subtleties.

When I studied Arabic, I didn't reach the "clicking point" before I had to put the language aside.  It was difficult and, though I kept working at it, the time that was necessary to devote to it became too great and I had to put it aside.

Guiding principles: It's better to understand a few items really well than to have a satisfactory comprehension of a broad range of material (with respect to language learning), although depending on the concept, that could be arguable. [Note: I'm not sure if this last part is just notes from the class or part of my response.  In either case, I agree with the message.]

-----------