Getting back to it...

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.

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!

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!