Learning Languages
I have always had a desire to learn languages, especially as I haven't been able to speak fluently in my parent's two mother tongues which I talk about in a previous blog post here.
I studied communication in college and have been a life long poet and rapper.
I have made complete strangers cry after sharing with them a poem I wrote for them in a moment after only a brief exchange of words; this might highlight the power of poetry but it is all communication nonetheless.
The more we are able to speak with each other, to our minds, to our hearts or to the soul the more we can build relationships, friendships and many other important aspects of life. The other day I was journaling about how I used to think understanding programming languages was a type of "language learning" however I don't think it is anymore.
Conveying messages to computers and machines provides a sort of expected response which isn't the same as feeling heard and understood by a human. I used to control thousands and tens of thousands of machines to turn off, on or a myriad of other more complex demands by "communicating" to them. The difference is that humans do not have green or red lights to convey health or whether or not your communication is understood.
Moving to a foreign country
I have read a great deal on how to learn and also specifically on how to learn langauges but it wasn't until two months ago I began my journey to live in Bali, Indonesia with my partner after living my entire life in America.
I knew from the start that I wanted to learn the local languages so when we arrived I began to study seriously for 1 hour a day. I focused specifically on learning Indonesian, until I became fluent. Now after 2 months of serious dedication I beleive I am at an A2 level in reading/writing/understanding but possibly still A1 level in speaking; although that should change any day soon.
I had purchased a lifelong subscription to Babbel back home months prior to even considering moving to Bali, initially I had purchased the app as a means to learn Spanish more fluently but as there wasn't an urgency to learn Spanish my learning practices had waned. I was really happy to discover there was a section (with less content but still some) to learn Indonesian so I dutifully took to using the app each morning.
One of the discoveries I found within myself was that using the app for an hour straight wasn't as effective as breaking it up.
The mind loses focus and ability to pay attention to new and novel information so clearly for that extended period of time.
Instead, I set an alarm for 20 minutes and gave myself a break of about 5 minutes in between to utilize the pomodora method. 🍅
This is a great strategy for work and learning anything. Give it a try!
Learning two languages at a time
I also began using a tutor from italki after the first month of being in Bali. I found one to help me learn Balinese and one to help me learn Indonesian. While I enjoyed learning both languages I found it too challenging to do so as I was such a beginner and it was too much information. I decided to take a break from Balinese and focus solely on Indonesian.
Interestingly, there are practically no resources available to learn the Balinese language which several million people speak on this island. I have a few cursory books, and it is generally taught to school children when they are young but even adult language schools don't have already written curiculum to teach interested adults.
Since Balinese would be challenging to learn alongside Indonesian I decided that I would reignite my Persian language learning with (Chai and Conversation)[https://www.chaiandconversation.com/], if you are interested in learning Persian come join me! Bootcamp just started. :)
Today's lunch
Today I took a break and saw an older lady outside her warung (local shop) selling food and decided I would stop there for lunch. I asked her how she was doing and if I could sit and try what she had. I was able to tell her exactly what I wanted and how much of her different foods. I learned her husband was sick in the back and that she is from Java and has lived here 9 years. That her child is in high school down the street. It was a lovely interaction and the meal only cost 18,000 rupiah (the equivalent of $1.08). An incredible experience made possible through language and communication.
One funny experience Jarin and I had a few weeks ago was stopping for a bite to eat near the beach and looking at a menu we were trying to decypher. Jarin saw a chicken ("ayam") dish that said "manis dan pedas" which she took to mean "hands and feet" when in reality it means "sweet and spicy"! If you make mistakes like this you might either get chicken hands and feet in your dish, or miss out on the dish all together!
The language learning adventure continues ❤️.