uchit-russkiy

[uchit-russkiy]

I'm so serious about being kind above all else. it has genuinely changed the way I interact with the world on a fundamental level and has made me so so much happier.

[uchit-russkiy]

found a new youtube show/podcast

Maybe this is silly, but I believe in having wild goals to anchor and excite me in a process.

Being able to speak conversationally in Russian is fun, but that doesn't motivate me as much as it might others. It's not like I live in a place (right now) with a dense Russian population, so besides online friends and spaces like italki, I'm kind of on my own.

What's more motivating for me is being able to engage with special interest topics and being able to connect with people and share ideas about those topics.

So when I found a podcast called антропогенез (antropogenez), I was all over it since I have a degree in anthropology and would already be familiar with some concepts.

My Big Goal now is to be able to listen to and understand an episode of антропогенез and be able to leave a comment & engage with other commenters.

I'm laughably far from that goal, but I think it's a good goal post for now that'll challenge me while still holding my interest long term.

Still trying to see how I can move toward that goal (like maybe sourcing transcripts of an episode, printing it out, and spotting words I recognize to learn more that way), and maybe I'll share my progress here. 🤗

[uchit-russkiy]

Reset to day 1

I decided to restart my Russian learning process, so I reset Duolingo (only 250xp for Russian) & Pimsleur (half a lesson) to start over after watching this video about how to best learn a new language.

The approach in the video focuses on learning words and sentences in context (and not nonsensical context--looking at you, green owl), and it feels like a more natural, curiosity-driven way to learn and connect with a language, which is exactly what I'm looking forward to.

This space is where I'd like to document my Russian language journey and where I can really immerse myself in not just the process but the culture as well.

While I have a notebook to handwrite notes, I also want to keep a digital record to collect everything so I can easily search, reference, and reflect, even years from now.

Here's what I'll add:

vocab words I want to add to my mental library

sentences with vocab in context so I can repeat, study, and memorize, whether they're from books, videos, movies, or something I've written myself

short journal entries to practice forming sentences, even if they're translated at first before I can write my own sentences from scratch. I'll eventually work up to writing little stories.

progress updates, especially when I'm frustrated or when I'm able to cross a personal milestone

bits of grammar, though I'm learning grammar in context of sentences I come across instead of doing grammar drills.

And it's so I can stay accountable (even though I don't expect anyone to actually read this).

Today, someone in my online coworking community shared with me: У вас все получится (You will succeed) after I said I was studying Russian during the work sprint.

It reminded me of why I'm so obsessed with languages.

For me, learning Russian isn’t just about picking up another language. It’s about connecting the culture and people of that culture. There’s something magical about discovering how another language expresses ideas, and it's like learning to see the world through a completely different perspective (and being able to hold multiple views at the same time), and I think that's beautiful.

For now, I'm sure a lot of this will be in English (or Russian with English translations and explanations in English), but I hope that as I continue to learn, it'll shift to being mostly or exclusively Russian.

I'm just happy to recommit to my goal 💛