Language learning, a few thoughts

I thought I would share a few thoughts about my recent experiences as a language learner. I am extremely proud to say that I have recently been successful in achieving my Russian language certificate as part of the process of applying for a work permit here in Russia.
No mean feat! I can tell you.
This exam consisted of 6 parts.
Reading, writing, listening, speaking, Russian history and Russian law.

I have just read a wonderful article from Stephen Fry, which has underlined everything I believe about language learning and this has inspired me to write this post.
He simply states that it is language that makes us human. Check it out on Facebook.
Language learning is not a gift, it is a right and recently I have witnessed so many emotions in the process of learning a new language.

'Don't be afraid of it', Stephen Fry says. Easily said, when you are constantly, either, not understood or in some cases, put down because of your poor pronunciation or even misunderstanding.
He is of course correct in saying that you shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes. this is fundamental in my opinion. However, it takes a lot  to accept this on a regular basis, perseverance is not taught and how can you learn confidence?
Stephen says that many English speakers do not enjoy language, frightened of making that dreadful error with grammar and that other people are haughty about any misuse of language.
People show off their superior knowledge of language and look down on those who are learning and trying their best.

Trudging through the ice and snow back in January to my Russian lessons, reminded me about the real reason for those of us who put ourselves through this torture of learning a language. It is because I want it! I need it , in my case it is essential in order to live, work and learn in another culture and country.

At first I was annoyed with 'the system', Why do I need to know about Russian history and law just to work here, I would mutter to myself. How could I forget the paths I have taken on my route to where I am now with French and Spanish. It is in fact genius!
Cultural transfer is an integral function of language learning and develops interest in the real language of the people. I have always stated that language learning helps you to open and even knock down doors or barriers, it is exactly that and helps to understand the language you are using on a daily basis.

Even, especially! as a native speaker, we never stop learning a language, particulary if you read anything by Stephen Fry. I had to check his use of the word, pedant.
'a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.'

'Words are your birthright', he continues to say.
Don't be afraid of language and don't let anyone bully you, don't be humiliated because you can't spell this or that. It will come. It just takes time.
Oh and a lot of work!

El Paso and Texas June 2019

Life is a strange thing sometimes. I seem to have moved to Russia in order to visit the U.S.A. Never in a million years did I expect to visit America, especially Texas and New Mexico.It was to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life and a trip I will never forget for many reasons.

The sunset over El Paso was a sight to hold in my memory forever, the colours of the sky above the desert and the mountains surrounding this fascinating city are probably not available in any painter's pallette.

El Paso is situated in the south of Texas right on the border with the neighbouring city of Ciadad Juarez. Which was at one time described as the most dangerous city on earth. The wall and border are unavoidable in EL Paso, driving to school on a morning we passed the border every day and drove alongside the wall looking over into a foreign country , that of Mexico. 

This was probably the biggest suprise to me , in that I realsied that the majority of inhabitants of El Paso were of Mexican descent. 

Texas for me, was in my mind the Texas of the cinema of my youth, John Wayne, cowboys and Indians, deserts. mountains and great rivers. The Lone star state. Cowboy hats and boots, stetsons, guns, ranches, steaks, loud people and horses tied up outside the saloon.

How naive I am!

And yet, I was not totally wrong, apart from the influence of Mexican culture and language in the town. This is easily explained by the description of the most amazing school I have ever had the pleasure to visit.

The Alicia R, Chacon International school of el Paso.

An amazing place with amazing people 

 In this school, first of all, all children will become bilingual with Spanish and English.

And yet, they will go on to study a third language chosen from Mandarin, Japanese, German or Russian.

It is just gobsmackingly bloody well fantastic! Not suprisingly , there is a waiting list to get into this school and the year 8 graduates are among the most successful students. always! when they get to high school and beyond. This is an American middle school , so the kids are often with their teachers from kinder to grade 8. From about 5/6 years old to 14/15.

The traditional iconic school bus that I have seen a thousand times in the cinema and on TV. I half expected the cast of Happy Days to get off, Potsy, Richie Cunningham and the Fonze!

A partnership with the city of Kostroma and El Paso has been active for more than 15 years. I was a volunteer teacher with Olga and group of 6 Russian students of English visiting El Paso. This is facilitated by Natalia who originates in the Rusian city of Kostroma. The american students will make a tour of russia in the Autumn as they did in 2018.

In the picture above I was delighted to help present an award to one of our Russian students for his participation on a poetry recital. reading in English, as the students of El Paso read in Russian and Spanish as well as in English.

The proud winners of the poetry recital awards.

Ruth is the Mandarin teacher at Alicia R. Chacon and we were treated on the last day of term with Chinese pancakes. 

A Tigua indian performing the buffalo dance.

This had to be one of the highlights of my trip to the U.S.A.

My boyhood fascination with the western. TV and films were totally unavoidable as a kid in the late 50s and 60s. To see and meet a native American and learn something about his culture was a real honour and humbling experience.

Right in the heart of the city of El Paso is Ysleta sur pueblo, which is a community for the Tigua tribe with cultural information and self governing facilities. 

We werer treated ot traditional dances and the group were invited to paint pots in Tigua style, I was however distracted buy the video explainging the history of this proud and intreging people and to be honest embarrased by my lack of knowledge of this ancient civilisation. 

This was underlied with another visit to New Mexico in which we were to pass through Apache lands on the way to Ruidoso.

Ruidoso is Spanish for noisy, and el rio ruidoso which runs through the town. As the famous rio grande runs through El Paso. Well I can confirm two things, the noisy river is not noisy and the big river is not big, well not in the city anyway.

Ruidoso is a fascinating town in New Mexico and the journey through the desert did not dissapoint.

A twister in the desert on the way to Ruidoso, New Mexico. A little further on the route we came across the American army on  maneuvers. Tanks and military vehicles kicking up a sandstorm.

Sudislavl

Судисла́вль

On continuing my tour of Kostroma oblast I was invited to visit Судисла́вль  / Sudislavl with Pavel and his family.
We spent the day at Cendega, which is a holiday,fishing, hunting complex not far from Sudislavl. Having been eaten alive by mosquitos even with a total covering of spray, The only fish I saw, was a smoked fish provided for the soup. We had however a wonderful BBQ and fun playing volleyball and spending a lot of time watching the wildlife. The BBQ was definetly the best place to be away for the mosquitos!

 

A smoked fish provided by the fishing camp.

 The wildlife was magnificent and many buzzards were hovering along with snipe and beautiful butterflies, a real treat for a nature lover like myself. The fishing was not important after the discovery of such raw and beautiful countryside.

 Fields laden with wild Lupin were a wonder to behold, the colours are superb.
Судисла́вль is a suprisingly large town, yet spread over a wide area among which lakes and churches seem to be placed with lots of space and parks including a Health camp where a group of children from Moscow were resting.
Pavel was born here so naturally we had local knowledge and found a guy searching for wild strawberries. Among stories of children drowning in the lake and complaints about everyday life in Russia and how it was when Americans and Brits used to visit the town for the Health farm, days seemed better then, it was clearer.

Sweet as a nut!  I found a few wild strawberries myself, reminding me of my forraging back home in Yorkshire, Is there anything better than free, natural food? I doubt it!

 The day we went to Судисла́вль was June 12th. or Russia day.This is a national holiday which celebtrates the dissolution of the USSR and is treat only as a day off by Russians, I was expecting something more like the celebrations on 9th May or Victory day, but it was certainly nothing like what I expoerienced on that day in Kostroma. In fact, after meeting the local who was collecting wild strawberries, he seemed to be unhappy in the way in which older people are being treat in modern Rusia and it is certainly true to say that many Russians of my generation feel bitter about their experiences in contemporary Russia as opposed to that during life in the USSR.

Life is tough, there is no doubt if you are not among the few affluent Russians that are certainly far richer than the poorer teachers and ordinary folk .

BUY Буй

Буй, Костромская-область, RUS

Next on my tour was BUY, no not buy but Booeey. 100 kilometres north of Kostroma. Invited by Olga, I was heading for a day full of activities and meeting a lot of very talented students.

Anne was to be my tour guide for the day. a wonderful English speaker, with an exciting future ahead of her. Here is Anne on the station bridge on our tour. I am turning into a rail buff! Russian railways are fascinating!  Buy is an important railway station and it was clear with the amount of traffic across the station and yards.

Here is a huge locomotive, that was exhibited proudly at the station.

Here I am with Olga and the Head of the town, maybe the mayor? Thank you for your hospitality,  I will be back!

Шувалово 

Shovalova 

Monday 13th May, I continued my tour of Russia and Kostroma Oblast with a visit to 

Шувалово

I was invited by my colleague Irena to visit her school where she works as an English tutor, although she is retired , she spends 3 days a week working here with the students. 

A relatively small school, with around 200 students, I was delighted to be invited and have a tour of the school and talk with the students.

200 miles north of Moscow and  a 1 hour drive from Kostroma. I was delighted with the scenary on the way, with memories of home being re-ignited by the green fields and even some hills.

 The school has its own museum and as it was not long after the 9th May. the exhibits were concentrated on the Great Patriotic war and local heros and former pupils of the school.

 

 A room for local exhibits was fascinating and many artifacts from the farming community were very well looked after and proudly shown to me.

The girls gave a wonderful interpretation of an Irish dance. Well done, It was great!

So dainty and light on your feet!

 The school has a proud sporting history and a link with Ice hockey coached by a former international .
Here is our headmistress with a section of cups and awards.

Victory day May 9th 2019

бессмертный полк

The immortal regiment.
Families march through every town and city in Russia holding portraits of their loved ones lost in war.
Here are a few memories of a very emotional day in Russia.

Flags from the U.S.S.R. were abundant as the day is to celebrate victory in the Second World War, during the soviet period.
The immortal regiment or бессмертный полк has become very popular in Russia after having been introduced only recently in 2012
The figures of casualties suffered by the Russian people are staggering, frightening and almost incomprehensible. An estimated 27 million fatalities have been recorded.

Young and old, groups, soldiers and veterans marched together, it was a sight that will live for a long time in my memory.

Some younger people got into the spirit of the day by dressing in period dress, I think this gentleman is carrying a period machine gun!

A single woman led the procession carrying two photos of her lost family, followed by a woman in period uniform and a wonderfully restored motorbike and sidecar.

I think this is my favourite! Generals and officials being transported in a period miltary vehicle.

Bikers, some on Harley Davisons, proudly parading their Russian flags.

Russian soldiers with the soviet CCCP flag.

A very proud officer wearing a full display of his medals, no doubt with many memories of his career.

Солига́лич

Солига́лич


My trip to Солига́лич [Soligalich] was arranged by my new friends and colleagues Yulia and Lubov,who are both language teachers at Солига́лич school. a large school with  around 800 students.

The journey started at Kostroma bus station, I managed to ask about the platform and get on the correct bus.

Well in my experience this is a mini bus , but with curtains, but quite a new vehicle,it has to be said!

F. Scott Fitzgerald 

A 5 hour journey was in front of me, but I am a good traveller and I had my current book to accompany me on the journey.

 
                                       

Soligalich is situated in the north of Kostroma Oblast, 200+ km from Kostroma and 550+ from Moscow. Oh and by the way it is 1644 [2645km] miles from my home town Middlesbrough!

We passed through towns such as  Судисла́вль,  Га́лич and Чухлома.with views of amazing countryside and lakes on the way.I was on  my way into the real Russian countryside, without a doubt.
Then we approached Pothole Hell! The road seemed to get more and more bumpy, but I persevered with my reading and enjoyed the views.
We arrived in the town on a beautiful warm, no hot! day and I managed to get off the bus at the school where Yulia was waiting for me. [ My transactional Russian is definetly improving!]

After meeting Yulia and Lubov , we were invited for a tour of the town. The students of English did a terrific job with their tour and I was impressed straight away by their English!

The beauty of the Holy Mother's Virgin Cathedral took my breath away, especially when I was told it was not open for use and in danger of  further deteriation. I commented had this been in Italy for example, it would have been a World Heritage site  swarming with tourists.

The church in Russia is and has had a tough time throughout its history that's for sure and there is no other place, that I have so far visited  in Russia other than Soligalich, that can confirm this.

More was to come as we walked through the beautiful quiet streets around the town.

The Resurrection monastery is a sight to be believed and it will stay in my heart for the rest of my life.  Time, Lightening and neglect has left this magnificent building to the elements, So sad!

Another sad story touched my heart as we moved around the town. A former home for disabled children, deserted with a children's playground left in an unkemp state. American sponsors had apparently pulled out of the project and although I do not have the full story, I can't help thinking that politics are to blame.

It may seem as though I am painting a drab, sad picture of this town, well to be honest this is part of its magic in my opinion. We walked further and came across the river Kostroma, or the Kostromska, as it is a fast running shallow river, no doubt teeming with fish and an abundance of wildlife which cheered me up no end! 

 I was just a bit jealous of this fisherman, fly fishing on the river just outside my hotel. I don't know if he caught any fish, but it was such a perfect day. 

 At last! I felt organised, I had remembered my Binoculars and my camera was charged correctly, 

A pair of large ducks zig zagging across the current of the Kostroma river in Soligalich.

 I was delighted to see some wildlife and just a bit jealous of the fisherman enjoying the wonderful weather.

         Not sure yet what this is but I took this shot from my hotel bedroom window. Wonderful!

 My hotel / boarding house on the right bank of the river Kostroma.

After the tour we spent some time with the students, visiting classes and practising our English. I was made to feel very welcome by the students and enjoyed listening, chatting and discussing English life and traditions as well as Russian life and how it is to live in Soligalich. The students are very proud [rightly so!] of their town and it shows! 

                      

   Many students expressed the desire and in all honesty, the probability of leaving their home town to find work , study and hopefully return to contribute to their community.

  I especially liked the project about 'Healthy eating', this project used a strategy that crossed curriculum , using art, sciences and of course languages 

 Students hard at work in our conversation class. 

 A highlight of the trip was a visit to the museum with my two guides

 Have you ever had the feeling that someone is watching you?