Week Three: Minor Victories

            This week in Kinyarwanda study was a good one, and it wasn’t necessarily because I comprehended every word in a genocide testimony video or received a perfect score, while reviewing my flashcard deck, or even because I exceeded my expectations in some way. Instead, I achieved what I like to refer to as “minor victories,” but I feel as though these minor victories will sustain me and help me accomplish my ultimate goals.

            Again, it’s a small thing, but in the interest of incorporating my language study more fully into my life, I’ve been trying to include it in moments that I haven’t necessarily designated as study-time. For me, this means considering the real-world stimuli I encounter, whether it be an object, like a fork (ikanya), or a thought, like “Where is the restroom?” (Imisarani iri he?)- and mentally determining if I can say and/or express them in Kinyarwanda. With that in mind, recently, a family member announced that his wife was expecting their first child together, and I thought to myself, “how do you say someone is pregnant?” And, instantly, I remembered, because it is a phrase I use in English, though with an opposite meaning, of course. Literally translated, “to be pregnant” is to have a stomach. In Kinyarwanda, it is “kugira inda.” To say, “she is pregnant,” you would say “afite inda.” Of course, this is not a typical phrase, but it gets a little complicated, if you want to say “he has a big belly,” and you wish to distinguish it from “she has a big pregnant belly.” They are both “afite inda nini,” and to tell them apart, you must take advantage of context!

            Another not-terribly-big-thing, but nonetheless something I believe will sustain me through the semester- I contacted a language partner, J, successfully, and we have already starting communicating on WhatsApp, a wonderful resource, by the way. J and I are currently in the process of some “small talk,” but small or not, it’s been the first sustained conversation in Kinyarwanda I’ve had in quite some time, and I am thrilled about it. I may have even skipped a little in my apartment! It’s a good feeling, and not as anxiety-ridden as I may have once anticipated. Hopefully, J and I can establish an arrangement and meet regularly throughout the semester and perhaps even talk every now and again on WhatsApp. Perhaps the spontaneity of it will help me again to incorporate my language study more fully into my life.

            Anyway, that’s all for now! Thanks for visiting.

Week Two: Not Without Its Speed Bumps (Studying the Language of the Land of a Thousand Hills)

            This week has proven that returning to language study after a long absence from it is difficult. It’s humbling. It’s frustrating. It’s… Well, I thought I already knew all of this to be true, but to the extent that I did or did not, I still allowed myself to get to this point, this point of difficulty, humility, and frustration. And now that I am here, there is only one thing to do, and that is to re-familiarize myself, become closely acquainted with the language until I no longer feel so ostracized, and to never let it out of my sight and/or thoughts again!

            One activity, among the many, that made me realize the extent to which I was out-of-practice was constructing a page for my language-learning website, in which I am teaching visitors the language. This week, I provided a lesson on how one counts one to ten nouns in and between Kinyarwanda’s ten noun classes, and even though it’s a very patterned study, using the same stems and predictable prefixes (with some pointed exceptions in noun classes three and six), my recall wasn’t what it used to be.

In particular, I kept messing up “-tatu” (the stem for three) and “-tanu” (the stem for five). Of course, they look and sound alike, but I am still a little disappointed with myself for this beginner’s mistake. From now on, I intend to remember the distinction, however, by recalling that their chronological appearance is in reverse alphabetical order. Numbers might not make sense to me, but letters do, and I can craft a small memory game that way. Perhaps I won’t need it, as the language becomes more instinctive again, but just in case, I’ve stated it here.

            In the interest of becoming more intimate with Kinyarwanda, I have also been in contact with one of my classmates, R, who was in Rwanda this summer and may have language partner contacts with me. I said last week that I wanted to establish and maintain a consistent and productive relationship with a language partner, and hopefully, this will be the first step in achieving that goal. Note that this time, I am keeping you informed of this process, not internalizing and keeping quiet about any of these problems. In turn, I expect you to hold me to account, blog (even if just in my imagination).

            Finally, tomorrow, I am giving a presentation in class about learning a third or fourth language, while trying to maintain a second language. L and K expressed interest in the topic last week, and I am increasingly aware of the topic as a potential issue, not only as I want to retain any of the French that may have “stuck,” but also I tentatively plan to study Swahili in the future.

Week One: Back in the Kinyarwanda Groove

            Back to university in Madison, and back to the language-learning grind! Unfortunately, I did not develop much of a routine over summer, and my Kinyarwanda-learning was inconsistent when it happened at all. Accordingly, I could spend time speaking poorly of my summer activities and even punishing myself now for not learning more (I don’t know! No T.V. before bed? No outside activities until I review Memrise?), but I think that would be treating my language-learning as a chore, and I don’t want to do that.

Indeed, I attended a presentation given by Dr. KDT, in which she alluded to the pleasure to be found in self-instruction of an African language, using L’s reward system as an example, and the presentation became an excellent space in which to approach Kinyarwanda anew. I don’t want to punish myself for what I don’t do, but rather I would like to reward myself for what I accomplish, and so my language-learning begins again here!

            For the past week, I primarily focused on constructing my individualized study plan, making a conscious effort to focus on action-based tasks that contribute to my stated learning goals. I hope I have constructed a more realistic plan for myself, as I recognize that in the past year, I set lofty goals for myself, hoping to achieve them at best or, at worst, comforting myself with the recognition that I set high, unattainable goals, when I did not achieve them all. Instead, I ultimately became a little misdirected, overwhelmed, and maybe even disappointed by my inability to accomplish them all. This time around, perhaps I will be a little more realistic and maybe even surprise myself!

            Another excellent push that has developed for me this semester is having another Kinyarwanda learner in African 671: Multilanguage Seminar with me. Of course, I have always said that the course provides an excellent support system, as it provides students with pedagogical strategies, encouragement, and a great source of accountability, regardless of the plethora of languages being learned. However, another Kinyarwanda learner, particularly a beginner one, motivates me even more so, as I would like to be able to assist her when I can, pointing to helpful resources or even explaining certain concepts, and I can’t help her learn unless I help myself learn.

            Finally, I will state this goal here, in the sincere hope that it will help it come to fruition: I plan to acquire a language partner (one I’ve had before or a new one) and maintain regular meetings with him/her.