An adult learner's different and at times funny description of how she combines her everyday life with her hobby. A good example of persistence and inventiveness inspired by a strong motivation to learn.
My days are filled with looking after the livestock on our farm and after my family. I have six children and I am expecting the seventh.
I have always been interested in art, different cultures and horse breeding and training. Eventually I bought myself a thoroughbred Arabian mare of Russian origin. In all its perfection the horse conquered me, and I wanted to learn everything about Arabian horses.
When I was elected to the board of the Arabian horse association of Finland, I began to dream of being able to bring a thoroughbred Arabian horse from Russia. I had studied English, Swedish and German at school, but I did not know even a word of Russian.
I live in a small village where the possibilities to study and the attitudes towards language learning are not too good. However, one of my relatives studied Russian at the Adult Education Institute, and he encouraged me to join in. The beginning was hard for me. We learned the alphabet quickly, but the structure of the language seemed difficult, and other languages were of no help either. However, I was determined to learn. For example, I wrote Russian words on the blackboard in the milk room. I wrote down the names of the cows using the Cyrillic alphabet and also greeted the animals in Russian - every morning and every evening.
I felt a bit like an outsider in the Russian classes, because there were so many highly educated people in our group. I often did not have enough time to prepare my homework very well, and sometimes I was also forced to be absent because my children or the animals were sick - or some machine cracked up just when I was supposed to go to the course. At times I really questioned my right to pursue this hobby.
However, I soon realised that the problem was not so much the circumstances as my own habits: since I could not free more time, the only solution was to organise my time better. My plan could be called "Russian anywhere and anytime" - and it really works! I keep the books on the table all the time so they are ready whenever I am ready. When I take my children to their hobbies, I take my book from the bag and start to read. If we go to the beach, I enjoy the sun and flip through the dictionary and try to read a novel in Russian. My vocabulary has increased and I do not feel nervous about the other people in our class any more.
I am extremely interested in the whole of Russian culture: I try Russian recipes; I watch Russian programmes on TV; I follow the news and read all the articles I can about modern Russia. I bought some Russian horse magazines, and to my surprise I was able to understand what was written in them!
I am on maternity leave now. I have already packed a Russian novel and a grammar book in addition to a toothbrush to take with me to the hospital. I really try to make my dreams come true, step by step, with persistence and humility.
This story contains many good ideas for finding ways to overcome obstacles to learning a language. Would you like to see more tips for when you're short of time? She also combines action with learning - is this your learning style?
