diller, langues

languages are the color of this world that are only seen in full spectrum by some.  with some saved up motivation i've gotten deeper into different languages lately and my job helps in many ways.  i have an ongoing competition with a few of my students that i can learn french faster than they can learn english.  it is a fair deal.  my students have the privilege of taking language courses and i am learning french on my own accord.  i had never thought of french before with any consideration but i've learned in the past that it is really a creative idea to become interested different languages and cultures which i know nothing about.  french was one of those until i began planning to travel in Africa this year.  i only have a few months to prepare for it but it has become a likable challenge.

my time is consumed with thoughts of madagascar.  sometimes i fall too deeply into thought and i forget to notice the beauty around me.  this is a feeling which always brings me a smile as i snap out of it, it's good to remember where you are before you discover where you are going.  where i am now i can't help but laugh to myself sometimes as i think about how istanbul is quite the opposite of madagascar.  there is actually this small gift shop on the path to my work which is called 'lemur' and displays two large looming yellow eyes with thick black dots in the middle of them as a logo.  

and i'm learning french..

it seems that my spanish is clouding the correct pronunciation of french words.  i'm writing this (for the same reason that i write most things) because it is nice to look back on and remember how bad i was at a language and how far i've come.  i can only hope this is true with french.  

the motivation it takes to learn a language is more like a tired muscle.  we all have this muscle which we used in our childhood and adolescence to learn a language, which was our native language, however we stop using it over time and it becomes sore.  i sincerely do not believe that it is difficult to learn a new language simply because you are older but because it has been so long since you've exercised your language learning capacity.  this is a muscle which we must keep active and fresh or else it will atrophy. 

my dad gave me a first gift of some inspiration as i remembered he once studied french in university.  when i was home last we practiced a bit together and it didn't surprise me more than i thought he knew.  i got another boost from a woman i work with who is actually from switzerland.  she gave me a grammar book and some passing conversation and i might even pay her for a private lesson.

languages are fun.  that's kind of cheesy to say but they are actually really loads of fun.  if you don't mind a little light-hearted laughing at your mistakes and if you are in a friendly mood it is so much fun to talk to people in their first language especially when you're in their country.