The first time you understand something someone says to you in a foreign language you experience an amazing feeling of elation.
At least I did. The first time I successfully managed some small talk with my friend Artem, I felt like jumping for joy! Someone crack open the champagne! It didn't matter that the conversation lasted only for 3 minutes. I'd listened, understood, and responded in Russian.
Finally, my brain had unlocked some magical door that allowed me to understand sounds that, until recently, were only foreign noises to me. It was one of the best feelings I've ever experienced. It meant all my hard work was paying off, no matter how slow my progress felt! It was a step in the right direction.
This kind of feeling is one, I've discovered, you must keep a tight grip on. You have to remember how good it feels, because you'll need to remind yourself of it. For every moment of joy you experience from understanding and communicating with someone in a foreign language, you'll feel defeat and humiliation 100 times over. It would be very easy to let this discourage you, to decide that it really is just too hard. You must remember how good the successes feel. It doesn't matter if it was only a few words or a full conversation.
Today I experienced a setback. I froze, forgot all the words I've learned in Russian (at least it felt that way) and stared blankly at a group of people I'd hoped to befriend. I quickly muttered the only word my terrified brain could remember "Пока" and that was that.
I agonized over it for a while afterwards, imagining that they must think I'm a silly American for trying to learn their language, and knowing for a fact that no one would ever want to speak to me again. I wanted to dwell on it all day. To sit around thinking "I'm so stupid, I'll never learn Russian. It is too hard, what was I thinking?" But like I've said before, learning a language requires determination, and that I have a lot of!
It took me a little while to shake off my embarrassment and to realize that everyone who learns a language has experiences like these. They'll forget how terrified I acted. And I'll speak to them again - next time it will be better.
In the meantime, I'll study and practice. It's all I can do, it's all any of us can do. With determination and the support of my friends, I'll see this through.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Overcoming Your Mind
Илья: "Слушай, а ты бегаешь каждый день?"
Джен: "Нет... может быть 4 или 5 дне на неделе. Почему?"
Илья: "Да вот думал спросить: как ты умудряешься делать это регулярно? Поделись методами борьбы с вездесущей ленью!"
And so started an interesting conversation about staying motivated. We were speaking about running, but eventually turned to language, too.
I know staying motivated is not just a problem for me and my Ilia.Our own minds seem to work against us sometimes, especially when we perceive something as too difficult. Our minds are very good at finding excuses for not doing something. Maybe we think we don't have have time, or there is another more pressing matter to attend to. There will always be a ready excuse!
As I said last time, those excuses begin to pile up until you've done nothing; you've made no progress and now you're too frustrated to continue. So, what to do? You have to have discipline, but how do you build that discipline? It doesn't just happen, no one can hand it to you wrapped in a neat bow.
The first step I shared with my friend is this: make a list. The list should have every single reason, no matter how small or silly it seems, why you want to learn a language (or whatever your goal is). Start composing it in your head, it won't be too difficult, especially if you're really passionate about whatever it is you are trying to do. Once you have some ideas, put them on paper. Write down everything you can think of! Then stop, you're done for now. Put the list somewhere where you won't forget about it.
Over the next week, or longer if you need, examine your list. Take a couple minutes every day to read it and start thinking about your reasons. Highlight the ones that are most important to you. After you've selected a few, big goals for yourself, make a new list. Put it by your bed, on your desk, tacked onto your fridge - anywhere you'll see it most often! It sounds simple, but I promise it will keep you motivated.
Of course, this list isn't magic. You won't suddenly have the urge to sit at your desk 4 hours a day, every day to study. Your brain will still work against you... But now you have ammunition against it! When you start feeling lazy, if you start thinking about something else you need to do, remember your list. Hold it, read it! This is what you're working for, and it's easily attainable - if you do the work!
I can't tell you how long it will take, but eventually you won't be so dependent on your list. Your reasons will stick with you and you'll have the discipline to stick with it.
In the beginning, I struggled with studying. I had a vague idea of why I wanted to learn Russian, but it wasn't enough to keep me very interested. I'd sit down, open my book, read one or two paragraphs and get distracted. I'd check Facebook, or my email. Or just get up and walk away to do something else. I wasn't making any progress, despite wanting to learn. So I made a list.
Jen's Reasons for Learning Russian
1. Travel (and live) in Russian speaking countries.
2. Communicate with my awesome friends in their native language.
3. Experience the culture as authentically as I can.
4. Watch movies, listen to music, and read in Russian with no problem.
5. Have no fear when speaking with a native Russian speaker.
It was still a struggle in the beginning. I'd want to do other things. But I would remind myself that if I didn't study, the goals on my list would slip further and further away. It helped me. Now I have few problems sitting down to study. And if I do start to struggle, I just remember my list.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!
Over the next week, or longer if you need, examine your list. Take a couple minutes every day to read it and start thinking about your reasons. Highlight the ones that are most important to you. After you've selected a few, big goals for yourself, make a new list. Put it by your bed, on your desk, tacked onto your fridge - anywhere you'll see it most often! It sounds simple, but I promise it will keep you motivated.
Of course, this list isn't magic. You won't suddenly have the urge to sit at your desk 4 hours a day, every day to study. Your brain will still work against you... But now you have ammunition against it! When you start feeling lazy, if you start thinking about something else you need to do, remember your list. Hold it, read it! This is what you're working for, and it's easily attainable - if you do the work!
I can't tell you how long it will take, but eventually you won't be so dependent on your list. Your reasons will stick with you and you'll have the discipline to stick with it.
In the beginning, I struggled with studying. I had a vague idea of why I wanted to learn Russian, but it wasn't enough to keep me very interested. I'd sit down, open my book, read one or two paragraphs and get distracted. I'd check Facebook, or my email. Or just get up and walk away to do something else. I wasn't making any progress, despite wanting to learn. So I made a list.
Jen's Reasons for Learning Russian
1. Travel (and live) in Russian speaking countries.
2. Communicate with my awesome friends in their native language.
3. Experience the culture as authentically as I can.
4. Watch movies, listen to music, and read in Russian with no problem.
5. Have no fear when speaking with a native Russian speaker.
It was still a struggle in the beginning. I'd want to do other things. But I would remind myself that if I didn't study, the goals on my list would slip further and further away. It helped me. Now I have few problems sitting down to study. And if I do start to struggle, I just remember my list.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
One Step Forward...
The day I took my last German final, Mr. Hammond met me in the hallway outside the classroom. He asked me what my plans were after graduations and if I would continue learning German. I answered him as honestly as I could. I had no idea what I would do after graduation. I had no clue what kind of job I wanted and no job prospects. But I told him I intended to continue learning German. I wanted to find a teacher in my city and continue to learn. I would become a better speaker, and maybe even reach the elusive goal of fluency. Mr Hammond seemed a little skeptical, but wished me luck. (He had every right to be skeptical, I got a C on that final.)
I was serious, though, and I had good intentions. After graduation, looking for a job consumed my time, and when jobs didn't present themselves, I should have thrown myself into language study. I should have, but I didn't.
"I'll do it tomorrow," I'd say.
Tomorrow turned into next week, into next month, into a few months, and, before I knew what had happened, I had lost most of my determination to learn the language. Several times I picked up my old textbook and flipped through the pages, but it was often like I was seeing the material for the first time. it was frustrating and, on top of my lack of interest, it was enough to make me give up.
There is no question about it, learning a language is hard work. There is no easy or passive way to do it. You must possess the interest, passion, and determination for it, but if you aren't willing to make the time to study, practice, and use the language, you'll never succeed. Your friends and family may think you're crazy for spending countless hours learning, but you have to do it!
In the year I've been studying Russian, I've learned this lesson well. And looking back at my other attempts to learn languages, i can see exactly where and when I went wrong. Procrastination and laziness are learning killers, and I came close to falling victim to them early into my Russian language quest, but the thought of failure (again) was enough to push me past it.
Some days it is difficult to find the time. Some days you really don't feel like opening your textbook, studying grammar, or making your brain think in another language, but it is important to do it- even if it is for a short period of time.
Some days it will feel like you're taking one step forward only to take two steps backwards the next day. You'll overcome this feeling, but it will return. Use your interest, passion, and determination to push through it.
Interest, passion, and determination are so important to learning, but without the discipline to do the work, you'll never make any progress. It takes time to develop this.
I was serious, though, and I had good intentions. After graduation, looking for a job consumed my time, and when jobs didn't present themselves, I should have thrown myself into language study. I should have, but I didn't.
"I'll do it tomorrow," I'd say.
Tomorrow turned into next week, into next month, into a few months, and, before I knew what had happened, I had lost most of my determination to learn the language. Several times I picked up my old textbook and flipped through the pages, but it was often like I was seeing the material for the first time. it was frustrating and, on top of my lack of interest, it was enough to make me give up.
There is no question about it, learning a language is hard work. There is no easy or passive way to do it. You must possess the interest, passion, and determination for it, but if you aren't willing to make the time to study, practice, and use the language, you'll never succeed. Your friends and family may think you're crazy for spending countless hours learning, but you have to do it!
In the year I've been studying Russian, I've learned this lesson well. And looking back at my other attempts to learn languages, i can see exactly where and when I went wrong. Procrastination and laziness are learning killers, and I came close to falling victim to them early into my Russian language quest, but the thought of failure (again) was enough to push me past it.
Some days it is difficult to find the time. Some days you really don't feel like opening your textbook, studying grammar, or making your brain think in another language, but it is important to do it- even if it is for a short period of time.
Some days it will feel like you're taking one step forward only to take two steps backwards the next day. You'll overcome this feeling, but it will return. Use your interest, passion, and determination to push through it.
Interest, passion, and determination are so important to learning, but without the discipline to do the work, you'll never make any progress. It takes time to develop this.
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