(Not) The End
How time has flown! I can't believe it's the end of the term already.
Though I've been very cognizant of my progress over the past 15 weeks, it is still somewhat shocking to go back to Week One and remember where I started. I re-read my very first blog post and was reminded that I knew N-O-T-H-I-N-G when I started. It's helpful to remember this when I get frustrated with things that aren't sticking. Remember Lauren, at one point you didn't know that verbs start with oku-. You'll figure this out too, eventually.
This semester's progress will probably feel the most satisfying compared to future semesters. After all, when you start at zero, every gain seems relatively huge, because it is. And so, I'm on to the next chapter, where I'm no longer a beginning-beginner, but just a regular old beginner. I am optimistic about my learning next semester, but I'm also cognizant that the work will probably feel a little harder. I'll be moving on to more complicated grammatical structures, and I'll be working to memorize a greater quantity of words. And I'll be further away from the beginning, where every accomplishment feels like a giant leap forward.
I'm excited for the spring, though! As I continue to grow my Luganda skills, I get closer and closer to my goal. I'm curious to see what my proficiency level will be like at the end of spring semester!
This week has not been my best week in terms of language work. I've put in some time on noun class practice and parts of the body, as well as continuous review of past material. I've also been working on my listening and reading comprehension using the online news site, Bukedde, but this week I've needed to use English news sites to fully understand the content of what I've read and seen.
The other reason this week hasn't been my best is that I didn't have my session with my mentor on Friday. He texted me just before we were about to meet saying that there was a power outage, and we'd need to cancel. Initially, I have to admit I felt some relief, knowing that my brain could take a break that morning. But as the week went on, I definitely felt the void of not having had our regular intensive practice. I worry too that this coming week's session will be even more challenging than usual because of the break in practice! This makes me even more aware of the importance of language mentorship for my learning and how much I rely on the sessions each week. It's something to keep in mind as I make plans for my language study between semesters.
So, that's it for now! I'm no longer at the very beginning, and I'm definitely not at the end. I'm somewhere in between, and I'll be here for a while.
Though I've been very cognizant of my progress over the past 15 weeks, it is still somewhat shocking to go back to Week One and remember where I started. I re-read my very first blog post and was reminded that I knew N-O-T-H-I-N-G when I started. It's helpful to remember this when I get frustrated with things that aren't sticking. Remember Lauren, at one point you didn't know that verbs start with oku-. You'll figure this out too, eventually.
This semester's progress will probably feel the most satisfying compared to future semesters. After all, when you start at zero, every gain seems relatively huge, because it is. And so, I'm on to the next chapter, where I'm no longer a beginning-beginner, but just a regular old beginner. I am optimistic about my learning next semester, but I'm also cognizant that the work will probably feel a little harder. I'll be moving on to more complicated grammatical structures, and I'll be working to memorize a greater quantity of words. And I'll be further away from the beginning, where every accomplishment feels like a giant leap forward.
I'm excited for the spring, though! As I continue to grow my Luganda skills, I get closer and closer to my goal. I'm curious to see what my proficiency level will be like at the end of spring semester!
This week has not been my best week in terms of language work. I've put in some time on noun class practice and parts of the body, as well as continuous review of past material. I've also been working on my listening and reading comprehension using the online news site, Bukedde, but this week I've needed to use English news sites to fully understand the content of what I've read and seen.
The other reason this week hasn't been my best is that I didn't have my session with my mentor on Friday. He texted me just before we were about to meet saying that there was a power outage, and we'd need to cancel. Initially, I have to admit I felt some relief, knowing that my brain could take a break that morning. But as the week went on, I definitely felt the void of not having had our regular intensive practice. I worry too that this coming week's session will be even more challenging than usual because of the break in practice! This makes me even more aware of the importance of language mentorship for my learning and how much I rely on the sessions each week. It's something to keep in mind as I make plans for my language study between semesters.
So, that's it for now! I'm no longer at the very beginning, and I'm definitely not at the end. I'm somewhere in between, and I'll be here for a while.
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