dangmelearner

[dangmelearner]

Missing language learning but still too fragile after burnout. Plus i know next month starts a hectic time in my life for the next 6 months. Gonna be working on getting certified as professional administrator and management consultant. I have very little interest in it but this is where life had lead me I guess. Suck it up… So I probably wont start anything serious in terms of language studies.

[dangmelearner]

I disappeared from Tumblr. Work load got out of hands. I was on survival mode for a month. And now I finally got burn out.

Not going to attempt to learn any languages for a while. Need to rest the brain. But I will be back one day…

We did publish a Dangme book with my friend around the Christmas. When I get the strength I will post pictures of it here.

[dangmelearner]

If there is one thing I want to achieve 2025 is to learn to be more diligent at work. To pay attention to quality, to really really take my time before submitting anything. (I have made some huge mistakes lately due to having very right schedules and trusted too much that someone else will do the proofreading). So how will I do it? After every task I should take a 15 min to 30 min break and then read the design product through very very carefully before submission. When possible I will take proof print.

Second target is to include Dangme studies to my daily routine again. I have to still plan how though. My work has become so much more time consuming. Lots of over time and report writing after working hours. I think one way I could give myself more time for Dangme is to drop brainless social media scrolling. It does not give me real joy to scroll endlessly.

I need to write one memo about campus advertising this year. This too is a bit difficult to achieve because of time. But I need two memos for promotion. I think I just have to block time for this in calendar.

I don’t dare make any plans for GSL, French, Swedish and teeline. There is just no time and I want my goals to be realistic. So for these i do them if I get time and if not, well, so be it. At this point I need to prioritize.

[dangmelearner]

In all other languages my strategy is to start from a book I have read multible times in English and still interests me (its Harry Potter). After that anything that is interesting and cheap. Fanfics are good.

For Dangme: anything at all I can find. Can’t be picky. JW material is a good start because they write the same texts in almost every language. Bible is another trusted friend. Then are illustrated folk stories. Also my friend and I have produced some books of our own.

Serious question: how do we read books in our target languages?

Like, does anyone have a strategy?

Do you guys only consume stories you're already familiar with or does it matter to you?

[dangmelearner]

Embarrasing moments 101

My workmate said Fuck! And then immediately apologised.

Now I am a potty mouth my self so I immediately told him not to worry and that he can let loose in my company. All good so far. Then I had the great idea of wanting to express that he is my one friend I can relax around and swear as much as I want. But it came out us:

You are my fuck buddy.

Instant regret.

[dangmelearner]

A lot of work before Christmas holidays. And very likely have to do some work over the holidays too. (Not by choice. Am very sad) So trying to enjoy the small moments. And not going to stress over trying to have a perfect Christmas (like every year…)

Happy holidays to all of us who wont really have holidays. Enjoy the small moments of fedtive joy.

[dangmelearner]

I am writing a list of sports fixtures and I have placed Women’s tables before men’s. I stopped what I was doing and thought for a second that ”oh I made a mistake, normally its the other way around.” But now I’m thinking I should just keep it this way and wait and see who will be bold enough to come and correct me. Waiting for them to sweat as they try to come up with a non-sexist excuse to make me ”correct” the order of the tables. 😈 This is going to be fun.

[dangmelearner]

Ah finally someone going through worse hell than me. I should be grateful. Hang on there rare language learners. We will win this battle or die doing so but by George we will not give up!!

Broo learning a more obscure language is so hard because there is both so little and so much to work off of. Like I’m trying to figure out where to start with Tibetan, I can barely find any resources due to so much Chinese imperialism within Tibet making Tibetan as a language rare as hell, and each time I think I start to figure out the bare bone basics, I find something that opens more questions than answers. Like what the fuck is a post-postscript? Or a postscript for that matter? And are they different from the standard Tibetan alphabet? WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT ALPHABETS?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS, ENGLISH?!

[dangmelearner]

I have never encountered a language as illogical as English. How the hell do English speaking kids learn to read?

Unpopular opinion (apparently) but French pronunciation is very very logical and you do actually pronounce the words as they are written. Swedish and German too. All of these languages have very clear pronunciation rules and follow these patterns 99% of the time

English on the other hand is the most illogical language ever

[dangmelearner]

thank you for quenching my curiosity. i loved everything and not so everything. despite your daughter having to deal with the system with her health and also just the school system. i am ghanaian but moved to the uk at the age of 15 and i’ve always wanted to be in ghana again. i was homesick so i finally made my way back in 2017 and stayed for a month. went back to the uk and came back in 2018-2019 and stayed for a year. came back to finish my studies and went back again for a year in 2021-22. i want to move again but this time for good and i am grateful i am sort of privileged to decide whether or not to come back to europe/uk since i’m a french citizen. but the fear of coming back to ghana — i fear, honestly which shouldn’t be so and i’m not happy anyway out here. i am content. i am truly happy and my health improves wayyyyy faster in ghana. i’m still contemplating the decision.

thank you for sharing <3

Oh you will be fine. It’s only the health concerns that are the real risk factor. But if you have money and live in a bigger city you should be able to access decent health care. It’s when you need specialists that things sometimes get a bit tricky. So far we have managed. (She is getting better).

That point that health improves faster here is sometimes true due to the amount of vitamin d you get down here from the sun. Oh my. And if you are at rural area the clean food. Just need to be cautious with malaria. But it’s no biggie. Personally I have survived a couple of malarias, cholera and typhoid. Just need to get to hospital at early symptoms.

Would love to hear more of your story Now you got me interested. 😄 What are you planning to do in Ghana? Do you know some Ghanaian language from childhood? Do you know French? That could be a good source of side hustle: teaching French.

[dangmelearner]

just curious, why did you move to ghana?

Short answer: LOVE

Long answer: so I met this guy at church and he was real cute... He came from Ghana to Finland to study because Finland is like really good place to study (those times you could study for free even as a foreigner. Now there are restrictions). We married and after we both finished studies we weighed our options and desided Ghana was easier place to start a career. Me being a graphic designer but not at all entrepreneurial and him being academician Ghana was easier place to get full time permanent employment. Plus it sounded so cool then. Now it's less cool haha.. Just everyday life.

When I got kids we went to Finland for two years to do furter studies. That time I had my doubts if going back to Ghana was a good idea. We almost didn't. But then we just decided to see how it goes. Definitely have regretted the choice.

'My younger one got health issues and I can't help but thinking that Finland wold have been better for her.

Also the schools are bad. Corporal punishment is very much a thing here. We have to raise the issue at PTA meetings time and time again. Also sanitary facilities are horrible at the school. They keep promising improvements...

I kinda wish we could move back to Finland because of the kids. I am happy here and they seem content but I can't help thinking that I am compromising their future. But my husband is thinking otherwise. He sees Finland is not in the cards for us because of the employment difficulties. So here we are. Managing small small, as they say here.

And you know, if I have to choose between Finnish weather and eternal summer...

[dangmelearner]

First year living in Ghana:

Washes everything with bottled water. Eats nothing that has no label in it. Practically bathes in hand sanitizer.

Gets diahorrea:

This might be Colera. I will die in this toilet.

Tenth year living in Ghana:

Just drank from a bottle that a total stranger handed to her as a gift. Was told it was honey. Tasted weird. Was told it was medicinal.

Also: Hmm these beans from the street vendor smell a bit off. Oh well, waste not want not.

Later that evening in the toilet:

Yeah, damn beans. Maybe should take some more of that honey. They did say it was medicinal.

[dangmelearner]

I participated in an IT workshop targeted at young people with bachelor degree in Ghana. The speaker suggested the young people should eat twice a day instead of three times a day to save money for their own laptop. To the surprise of the well fed visiting lecturer, the young people confessed already eating just once or twice a day.

[dangmelearner]

Looking at my to do list like I dont wanna deal with any of this right now. Nu-uh.

[dangmelearner]

Baby’s first teeline. 🥹 (edit: I think I wrote gate instead of game. Also at the instead of for this)

Woke up 3 am worried how am I going to be able to take minutes at work one day. They have given me heads up but not the date yet. I think I need to learn short hand to make this possible. Because I have been practicing by taking notes in meetings in long hand and it is hopeless. I can’t get half the things on paper. I don’t know how the secretary does this.

Recording is always on option but sometimes the room is noisy or person is far or it’s confidential and they don’t want it recorded in your phone and I don’t have an actual recorder.

So maybe teeline then.

At least it can be a neat little way to write your diary Ann keep it secret.

[dangmelearner]

Studying advertisement regulations in Ghana.

Listening to orthodox liturgies. Seriously the OG lofi.

[dangmelearner]

When you’re learning a rare language and you need interesting comprehensive input and realize you probably have to do it yourself. 😅

This was co-operation with my language tutor. He wrote the story and I did the illustrations and layout. This one is in Ga but we will produce Dangme version soon.