Monday, April 25, 2016

Week Fourteen: Still Searching...

This week was a nice continuation of last week, in which I attempted to incorporate some of the new resources I have, such as the JAWS reader series I mentioned before and the Genocide Archive, with the “older” resources such as my notebook and Memrise. Even though I am happy I found them, and I am happy they exist for L2 learners, in general, I think the JAWS reader series might be a little below my comprehension-level. Accordingly, I am excited to use this summer to locate some new resources. Dr. T mentioned a new textbook from the National African Languages Resource Center that I would be interested in exploring. It is called Tuvuge Ikinyarwanda. And I am sure I can locate a number of sources while in country this summer.

            In regard to my progress this semester, I recently contacted B again, in order to discuss scheduling the oral portion of my final assessment. He hasn’t responded yet, but it’s still early, and I am trying not to be as discouraged as I was last week about the situation. Maybe this particular component of my language study isn’t going so well, but others aspects are, or they have gone well historically, or they will go better in the future. My rather weak attempt at re-evaluating my perspective!

            I also posted a lesson on descriptive adjectives on my language-learning website. I am pretty proud of the lesson specifically, as well as my website more broadly. Even if others don’t use it, it’s a very nice knowledge database for me, where all information is centrally located and put in terms that I understand. I think such an initiative is important for Less Commonly Taught Languages, for me, for potential learners, for the language itself.

            Finally, my trip to Rwanda is coming along, and I think I have got a lead in terms of accommodation. Sadly, I still cannot find an inexpensive flight as of yet. I thought I found a ridiculously cheap flight, and I was very excited about it and preparing to take the leap, but then I realized that the price reflected a one-way trip, and the price was actually double what I thought it was.


Still searching… For sources, for perspectives, for language partners, for flights…

Monday, April 18, 2016

Week Thirteen: My Pants are my Silver Lining...

This week, I feel decidedly okay about my language study. With the intention to meet with my language partner, B, I felt motivated to study this week. I returned to my Kinyarwanda notes from our intensive study in Boston, reflecting on nice memories from the class, mnemonic devices I had developed, and B’s teaching techniques. The beginning of the week was, indeed, very productive.

And then Thursday at 10:00a.m. (EST) arrived, but arrived was all it did. Indeed, Thursday at 10:00a.m. was supposed to be my meeting with B (again). As you know, the first week, he cancelled, due to a forgotten doctor’s appointment, and last week, there was some confusion regarding scheduling and the African Literature Association, so it was cancelled then, as well. This week on Thursday at 10:00a.m, I didn’t receive any communication from him- not a Skype call, an explanatory email-, and I haven’t heard from him since. Of course, there could be any number of explanations for this, including family emergency and just forgetting and anything in between, but due to the repeated incidents, I can’t help but feel a little discouraged.

After all, I am studying Kinyarwanda independently, but in order to reflect the communicative nature of the language itself, I have to incorporate other speakers. Of course, sometimes I can be innovative in this process. For example, I can listen to others singing in the language, I can read what storytellers have to say in the language, and I can reflect on what Rwandans have to say in the “Comments” section. However, to be truly communicative, I have to be able to receive the language someone produces and respond accordingly. My difficulty in maintaining a language partner has prevented me from doing so to the degree that I would like, and, well, I have trouble finding a silver lining in that.

In class, we have all discussed various problems and/or struggles pertaining to our language partners, such as difficulty in teaching them how to “teach” us and otherwise misguided directions. A problem we have not discussed, in depth, however is this: how do we address the struggle of a language partner who is absent more than he/she is present? The simple solution is, of course, to find a new language partner, but with a less commonly taught language, such as Kinyarwanda, the “simple” solution is not always the one available.

B’s absence from my Kinyarwanda training this semester not only impacted my progress week to week, but it also places at jeopardy my ability to follow through on my final evaluation plan the manner in which I have outlined it. And I really don’t know what to do about that, beyond look for another language partner, perhaps while in Rwanda this summer. Indeed, two of my classmates, L and L, are studying Luganda, and their language partner is an instructor of the language in Uganda.

I feel that this was a very discouraging update, so I will leave you with a funny language-based story to maintain your morale, as well as my own. I was discussing my language study with my friend, and he was asking what age-level I thought I could speak at, which I had trouble assessing, but then he proceeded to ask me if I could say this and if I could say that. The first question was if I could ask where the bathrooms were, which seemed practical enough, but then he asked me if I could say “Where are my pants?” And I laughed, because I thought the question was ridiculous, but he claimed that in every foreign language classroom he’d been in, he’d been asked to learn that question. I, of course, have never been asked to memorize such a question, but I can put it together in Kinyarwanda:

Ipantaro yanjye ni he?


I guess that is my somewhat unrelated silver lining of the week…

Monday, April 11, 2016

Week Twelve: "I am the Master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my Soul"

            Last week, I attended the annual meeting of the African Literature Association in Atlanta, Georgia. I had a wonderful time, in which I was able to explore the city on my own, and attended panels on topics relevant to my research, which, in turn, stimulated my passion for travel (even if it’s only in the U.S), encouraged my pursuit of research on African literature, and re-affirmed my study of Kinyarwanda. With that said, I had a lot going on, and I know you might anticipate my saying that I relegated my language study accordingly; however, you would be mistaken!

            Indeed, I anticipated that I would be busy last week, so I knew that I would have to schedule my language study, if I wanted to get it done. And so, simply put, I did. I knew conference schedules often allowed for a lengthy lunch break (in this case, approximately two hours), and though I knew I would want to eat, I also knew that there would be time between the point in which the server took my order and when he/she brought my meal to the table, and there would be time between when I was finished eating and when he/she brought me the bill. Even if they were relatively small windows, I knew I would have them, and I knew I could use them efficiently. In addition, I knew that not all events would begin on time, so I used the five minutes before a panel to study virtual flash cards, and I used the thirty minutes before the awards ceremony began to examine my notebook.

            Looking at this makeshift schedule, I would like to be able to apply it to my everyday learning. For example, due to the bus schedule, I often arrive at least twenty minutes (if not more) before my first class begins on Monday or Tuesday, and I have approximately an hour in between my first and second class on Monday. I could use that time to my advantage, instead of socializing with my classmates (though that is also useful, admittedly, albeit in a different way). Of course, finding spaces in a week to study can be a little random, and it can be nice to insert language study where I didn’t necessarily anticipate it; however, I can also be a little more deliberate in this case, when I know I have time and need only plan for it.

            With that said, I did not meet with my language partner, B, while at the ALA’s annual meeting, due to a miscommunication; however, we have since talked, and we will be meeting this Thursday via Skype, and I am excited! In addition, looking forward, I have got dates for my internship in Rwanda now, and I am even more thrilled about that!


            Things are happening, because I am making them happen, and there’s something wonderful about that. Yes, I am responsible if I fail to study Kinyarwanda, but yes, I am also “to blame” when I am successful! And that, my blog viewers, is a fantastic feeling.