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Tecktight TAC 2012 Team Sputnik | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4974 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes  Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 33 of 96 26 March 2012 at 4:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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Thanks, Woodsei! It certainly is a great nerdy place to be in, haha. :D
Anyway, UPDATE, UPDATE! I've really barely made any progress--in fact, I'm moving at a snail's pace--but I've just been trying to take my life one step at a time lately. It's walking like a toddler, but still walking, I suppose. Still, my lack of energy in all aspects, but especially language learning, has really been grinding on me. I'm hoping that once this semester ends and I go back home for a bit, then later to Moscow, the change in locale will kick me back up again. Well, here's where I am for last week: Russian: 2 hours--I've been shooting for about 30 minutes a day, because I can't concentrate any more than that. So I only managed to sit down four times last week to do my grammar exercises. I think I'll try focusing more on differently-styled approaches..i.e. through films and such. French (Assimil): 9 lessons. Started last weekend and ended this morning with lesson 9. This is my first time using the Assimil approach, and I really like it! It's perfect for me at this point because it teaches in short little spurts. I didn't think it would work, but, oddly, I find myself remembering weird phrases like "do you have any cheese?" Finnish: 5 hours with FSI--I think I'm falling in love. Because Finnish is absolutely unrelated to my studies or explicit career goals, it feels like a real treat to study it. It's my metaphorical chocolate. But perhaps I'm lying just a bit on that studies/career goals bit, because I've found that ever since I kindled my fascination for Finland/Estonia, I have found ways to incorporate them into my studies (ex: the event below). I though Eastern Europe would be my specialty, but I think I'll be just as engrossed in Northern politics... Estonian: None--HOWEVER, I have an upcoming opportunity to take an online Estonian course. There's some sort of online and in-print textbook, and the class has twice weekly Skype sessions (written only), and once-monthly phone calls with the instructor. I wanted to do it as a birthday treat to myself. What do you think, should I go for it? I think it's about 10 weeks. Also, speaking of Estonian, the foreign minister of Estonia, Urmas Paet, will be speaking at my uni tomorrow! He's one of the political figures I really look up to, so I'm extremely excited. I imagine there won't be many people there (sadly, usually 10-15 people, max., come to those type of events), which is better for me, since I'll get to ask loads of questions. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4705 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 34 of 96 27 March 2012 at 1:37am | IP Logged | ||
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Seeing as soon I will be returning to a long lost friend of mine (French) I wish you good luck with it! It's a very pretty language that has been very useful to me over the years, and I hope it serves you well :) Edited by tarvos on 27 March 2012 at 1:37am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4974 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 35 of 96 29 March 2012 at 2:46am | IP Logged | ||
Thank you! It is indeed very pretty, and I can't deny its usefulness. I just kept noticing how it popped up in so many places, and each time it did and does, I kick myself for not knowing it. It seems fairly easy to grasp so far, as well, but maybe that's because I'm at a very casual pace with Assimil... Best of luck to you, as well! I'm sure you'll enjoy getting back into French. :-) 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4974 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 36 of 96 29 March 2012 at 2:53am | IP Logged | ||
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So, quick update.
I met the foreign minister, and he was absolutely fantastic. There were actually quite a few people there (30 or so), but I still got to ask him a question. His topic was "Why the European Union Still Matters," which seems to be a very popular topic at my university lately, with all our euro-skeptics. I went up to him afterwards and thanked him for coming. I mentioned something about my disappointment in the lack of summer study programs at the University of Tartu (he's an alumnus), since I'd like to study there, and, at that, he appeared indignant and said something along the lines of "Oh no! We have many, many programs. Wait, we'll show you!" Then he procured the Estonian ambassador out of thin air and introduced me to her. I guess she was at the event the whole time and I just didn't see her... They were both extremely nice and the ambassador told me to e-mail the embassy with questions about summer programs, which I guess I'll do. The ambassador also told me my university just initiated some new partnership with the University of Tartu that I didn't know about, and apparently my university is even hosting some conference in Tartu on May 7th...(the ambassador whipped out a whole folder with info about the event--all the events have been planned out with times and breaks and all that. It's pretty impressive organizing, actually). I didn't really get to use any Estonian, which was actually very good, since I don't know any. So I just bid them farewell and got to listen to their little diplomatic group chatter away in Estonian on my way out. The experience totally made my week. My good mood has carried over to today, hehe. It's not that I haven't met foreign ministers, ambassadors, and the like before, living in the capital of the U.S. and all, but none have been as meaningful for me as this. Of course, they couldn't possibly have realized how much the opportunity meant to me--it was surreal, actually, meeting them in-the-flesh--and I can't really explain my love for Estonia in logical or rational terms, but I'll make it known to them someday, somehow. I've realized that it's the little things that make the longest-lasting impressions. These little things make us who we are, and help craft us into what we are to become. Also, I ordered my Estonian textbook for my class. It's called "E nagu Eesti." I can't wait 'til it arrives. Edited by Tecktight on 29 March 2012 at 2:59am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5332 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 37 of 96 29 March 2012 at 7:53am | IP Logged | ||
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Good luck on both French and Estonian. That event you describe sounds like a magic moment! Let me
know if you need any help with your French. I used to be a French teacher in my previous life. I just met a Russian girl who is fluent in Estonian - I wish you were here, I could have introduced you. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Tecktight Diglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member United States Joined 4974 days ago 227 posts - 327 votes Speaks: English*, Serbian Studies: German, Russian, Estonian | Message 38 of 96 29 March 2012 at 5:24pm | IP Logged | ||
Did you, really?! I had no idea! My, I might just have to take you up your offer some day. I wish I were there, too--I'd love to meet her! Of course, on non-language note, if you were here, you'd love seeing the cherry blossoms being a green-thumb and all. Edited by Tecktight on 29 March 2012 at 5:26pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Chung Diglot Senior Member Joined 7154 days ago 4228 posts - 8259 votes 20 sounds Speaks: English*, French Studies: Polish, Slovak, Uzbek, Turkish, Korean, Finnish | Message 39 of 96 29 March 2012 at 5:43pm | IP Logged | ||
Estonian for me is an endearingly complicated language that sounds great. However the grammar is an absolute bear but knowing Finnish will help resolve a bit of its apparent anarchy. I've never used that course, but did snag a copy after I had finished "Teach Yourself Estonian". It looks OK, although it seems a bit more suited for a classroom than learning on your own even though it has an answer key. As I had posted to gdoyle who's also studying Estonian: "Sa oled väga vapper (ja tõesti napakas ;-))... Õnn kaasa!" 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Solfrid Cristin Heptaglot Winner TAC 2011 & 2012 Senior Member Norway Joined 5332 days ago 4143 posts - 8864 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, Spanish, Swedish, French, English, German, Italian Studies: Russian | Message 40 of 96 30 March 2012 at 11:55am | IP Logged | ||
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I am In Estonia. Just realized this morning that We were changing flights in Tallinn - thinking about you and
how much you would have liked being here instead of me :-) 1 person has voted this message useful |
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