34. Russian language study - update #1
Now that I've finished twenty-five percent of my Russian language class (20/80 course units), it's time for an update on my new Russian skills.
As it turns out, the class is quite a bit different than what I was told it would be during my orientation meeting. The focus is not just on speaking as I expected; equal time is given to grammar, reading, and writing. The methodology is quite different, as well. My instructor speaks English a bit to explain what's going on, and I occasionally use English if I need to ask questions. I installed Cyrillic keyboard software on my laptop, and I spend time some classes by taking dictation for writing practice. The focus so far has been on general language acquisition rather than the specific skills I need to chat with coworkers, waiters, and clerks. I'm not sure where the disconnect is between the orientation meeting and the class. I don't think my instructor is just going off in her own direction, because she's teaching me from a book and the methodology seems well established. They should have just accurately described to me at the orientation what I would be doing in class.
Differences from my initial expectations notwithstanding, I'm definitely learning a ton. I can already have basic conversations about select topics and I've learned a bunch of words. I've moved to grammar rules, as well - forming sentences with gender agreement between nouns and pronouns, for example. Unfortunately, this is requiring at least an hour a day of homework, which is tough on top of my already busy schedule. Also, some of the vocabulary I'm learning are words I don't expect to ever use (beetle, groundhog, chic, slope, etc.). But, I can read Cyrillic quite well now, so I read all the signs I see when out and about and can understand quite a bit. And I'm starting to have short conversations with coworkers entirely in Russian.
As it turns out, the class is quite a bit different than what I was told it would be during my orientation meeting. The focus is not just on speaking as I expected; equal time is given to grammar, reading, and writing. The methodology is quite different, as well. My instructor speaks English a bit to explain what's going on, and I occasionally use English if I need to ask questions. I installed Cyrillic keyboard software on my laptop, and I spend time some classes by taking dictation for writing practice. The focus so far has been on general language acquisition rather than the specific skills I need to chat with coworkers, waiters, and clerks. I'm not sure where the disconnect is between the orientation meeting and the class. I don't think my instructor is just going off in her own direction, because she's teaching me from a book and the methodology seems well established. They should have just accurately described to me at the orientation what I would be doing in class.
Differences from my initial expectations notwithstanding, I'm definitely learning a ton. I can already have basic conversations about select topics and I've learned a bunch of words. I've moved to grammar rules, as well - forming sentences with gender agreement between nouns and pronouns, for example. Unfortunately, this is requiring at least an hour a day of homework, which is tough on top of my already busy schedule. Also, some of the vocabulary I'm learning are words I don't expect to ever use (beetle, groundhog, chic, slope, etc.). But, I can read Cyrillic quite well now, so I read all the signs I see when out and about and can understand quite a bit. And I'm starting to have short conversations with coworkers entirely in Russian.
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