My teacher, Mitali, has done a fantastic job of keeping my Hindi classes interesting and fun and lately one of our regular activities is for me to learn muhavare – idioms. In any language, these are really fun for me as they are, in a sense, word play and that is something I love. And they also make me think about my world a little differently. Continue reading Wasted Effort
Hindi was not the first non-English language I tried to learn. Not long after we moved to Canada I really was done with visiting the US (and to be honest, I wouldn’t be heartbroken if I were never sent there again – sorry, fellow Americans) but with a US passport I was a great candidate for my company to send to the states as I don’t need a visa to work there – I just show up. I thought perhaps if I learned to speak French I could be sent to work on projects in our Quebec office. I started … Continue reading Experiences Learning my Second Language
After I wrote my last entry one reader, Sunil, left a comment. Aap Hindi kiyon sikh rahe hai? “Why are you learning Hindi.” The answer is not so simple as many other westerners I’ve heard. I can’t say “I saw … Continue reading My Journey with Hindi
In my adult life I’ve studied a couple of languages. In the mid 2000’s I studied French in the hopes of being able to work in Quebec more. I met a local tutor whom I met with weekly and she and I worked together. I got to the point where I could speak relatively well though still had a very small vocabulary made up mostly of things I cared about – food, music, and at the time, politics. In 2008 it paid off. I got some work in Quebec City. It wasn’t my skill with French, though. That was definitely … Continue reading Language Learning Logistics Always Seem to Escape Me
Go Outside Today 