Sometimes in order to reach a goal it's necessary to just begin - whether or not the timing is perfect, and whether or not we are ready. That was how I began this blog: I just began. It was probably almost the worst timing as, at the time, I was preparing myself for a big exam, while trying to work hard and focus on my research. The timing was horrible and I knew I wouldn't be able to devote myself to consistent writing or to studying Turkish and all the other things I set out to accomplish with this blog. Yet, if I hadn't begun then, perhaps I would have never started this blog. While I don't think the world would be worse off without my blog or really miss it at all (there are millions of blogs out there by now and I fully realize that mine is just a speck at this point), I think I would be worse off without writing this - or at least that is how I like to think about it. Throughout the stress of the past month or so, I kept thinking "once this is all over, I can start writing on my blog!" Focusing on the blog and studying Turkish gave me an extra surge of motivation to work hard and get over the necessary career hurdle.
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| Finally - over the hurdle! |
So here I am - I passed my exam, I made progress on my work. Now I can use my free time for some of the things that bring me additional joy in life, things that inspire me and interest me on a very different level from what pushes my career forward and, at the end of the day, pays the bills.
Here is what I have done so far to get back in the game with my Turkish:
1) I got back into contact with a group that offers Free (yes FREE!) Turkish classes at my university. I just had the first class of the semester tonight and it was a good intro back into speaking Turkish.
2) I found a conversation partner to meet with once a week so that I can speak more. I think this will be a big help and I'm really excited to get started tomorrow!
3) I spent last night revisiting some of the free services online such as Babbel and LingQ and working through a couple exercises, as well as reviewing what I have previously done. It's kind of like taking your computer out of sleep mode - from that low power state to revved up and ready to process new material. After reviewing I feel like I remember more of what I learned last year and I feel ready to learn more!
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| Babbel has some free and pretty fun Turkish vocab lessons |
So here I am - ready to learn, ready to enjoy this language learning process and once again ready for my nightly lingo-cultural immersions in to the Turkish world.
There is definitely more to come - so stay tuned!
Hoşçakal!
