Week Fifteen: Kinyarwanda, Pause, Resume, Repeat (as Needed)

            This week, I didn’t concentrate so much on learning new material (or even far-gone material), as I did on reviewing the sources I knew would be beneficial to me, as I prepared for my final self-assessment. This momentary pause felt a bit strange, as I am entering winter break with the motivation to keep studying, but it’s like I’m stopping forward progress prematurely.

Of course, such a feeling is right, only insofar as I am feeling it, but the reality is I have to secure my foundations before I build up, or if you prefer this metaphor: I need to back-up my knowledge on iCloud Drive (File > Save as > Remembered (Where: iCloud Drive), before I remove it from my working Documents (File > Save as > Work in Progress (Where: Documents). Neither are perfect metaphors, because I will never entirely move on from my “foundations” or “working documents,” but it’s a way to conceptualize and reaffirm the path I am on in my language-learning.

            Interestingly, and not immediately related to my language study, my Kinyarwanda notebook has had multiple lives, first as my companion at a conference commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, a thought journal on a trip to Colorado, and then as my Kinyarwanda notebook. Well, this week, I had to locate a recipe I encountered in Colorado, and in flipping through the pages, I became distracted by Kinyarwanda and quite literally (though really figuratively) had to tear myself away in order to complete my baking, an otherwise leisurely activity for me. Of course, it could be just the time of the semester that influenced this change, but I’m excited for it all the same, because it, along with other developments I’ve recorded in my language-learning blog, evidences the degree to which, however small, my language study has become an integral part of my life.

            It is here that I find myself approaching language study during break. On the one hand, I think, in some ways, it will be a little easier, particularly because I don’t have the demands of other coursework weighing down on me. But without the carefully crafted schedule that coursework creates and the culture of accountability our weekly meetings/my blog posts ensures, I fear the possibility that I won’t be fully committed. With that said, I need to hold myself to account, without the expectation that others do it for me. If I agree to studying at least one hour per day, I need to study for that hour, and if I don’t, I need to make it up or deal with the consequences of my actions. Furthermore, if I am committed to diligent language study, even if it doesn’t always follow my “plan,” or if I am not as advanced as I feel I should be, I should re-frame my study over break as that much more than I would have gained, if I hadn’t studied. Then again, however, that might be a useful lesson for all time.

            Anyway, this was meant to be a shorter blog post about what I was doing alone, but I allowed thinking about what I was thinking to extend it! Oops! Back to my studies! I am sure you, my reader, will appreciate the opportunity to return to yours, as well!

Week Fourteen: Kinyarwanda, A Part of My Life (Not the Whole)

            In some ways, I could lament that “my language learning never catches a break,” but I think that reflection would provide the inaccurate idea that my life is supposed to accommodate and/or make time for my language-learning. That is definitely, nor has it ever been the case. Instead, I am supposed to find time in my life for my language, and if I am prioritizing it properly, it will become a vital part of my life or, better yet, it will become my life. Sometimes, it works to my favor. Sometimes it doesn’t.

            This past week, I attended the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association in Washington D.C, so it could be said that that capitalized a certain amount of my time; however, my language study has been so ingrained as a part of my life that it was not left behind in Madison. With that said, however, I was still a little worried going, because for the first time, I shared my hotel room with someone else, and I thought it would take away from my productivity. It turned out though that she was interested in exploring D.C’s nightlife, and I definitely was not, so that solitary time gave me plenty of opportunity to be productive, particularly in regard to my language study. In addition, there were some nights where I felt obligated to stay up for her, so it encouraged me to stay awake and study, whereas I would have otherwise probably gone to sleep early.

            Also, another benefit to my lack of social skills was the short periods in-between sessions, our extended lunch breaks, and the wait time for receptions to begin. I recognize that these times are supposed to be used for networking, but sometimes I was a little overwhelmed by the social, extroverted obligations of the conference, so I pulled out my phone and/or laptop, as was convenient, and worked at reviewing flashcards.

            Of course, it may sound as though that these were only happy coincidences in which life allowed me to study Kinyarwanda, but I consciously chose Kinyarwanda, over, for example, reviewing my presentation for the umpteenth time, grading, or perhaps even participating in a mindless activity (such as watching the Travel channel). I have to recognize this as an accomplishment on my part, insofar as I made time for Kinyarwanda, and even though it may not constitute my entire life, it is a part of it.

Week Thirteen: Kinyarwanda in a Time of Chaos

            Due to the anticipation of Thanksgiving break, I entered this week knowing that my language study was likely going to be a bit of a struggle. Lack of consistent internet access made it worse than I imagined, but given my poor productivity in the weeks leading up to break, I knew that I had to plan extra carefully if I wanted to get things done. So, in as much as I could, I attempted just that!

           

            As I mentioned in class, when I am at my family home, I can be a little deceitful when it comes to being productive. Although they want me to succeed and try to support me, I don’t think they recognize the full extent of my commitments, particularly how much time coursework, teaching, and independent language study take up. So, sometimes, I “lie.” After I wake up, I stay in my bedroom for a half hour to an hour and commit time to something productive. Or if that is not possible, for instance, when my mother knocked on my window to let her back in (because she had locked herself out), I take a “nap” later in the day or I “go to bed early” and have a little study time. This way, I can get anywhere between a half hour to three hours of guilt-free studying completed.

            In last week’s instance, I made sure to spend some time with the Bible in Kinyarwanda, as I recognized that was lacking in my study schedule in recent weeks. Even though I haven’t always necessarily seen the relevance of translation to my study, I have recently returned to it with a new fervor, because of my anticipated trip to archives with Kinyarwanda sources this summer. Indeed, I think the ability to translate is more important now than ever.

            In addition to studying while “sleeping,” I also managed to slip in some flashcard time at Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t do it while at the table, because that would be rude, but I notice that members of my generation have their phones out during downtime anyway, texting, playing games, or scrolling through the internet/Facebook. So, I decided I would join them this time. Of course, I assume everyone thought I was participating in activities similar to my peers, but I was only looking through Memrise. Accordingly, it was a win-win- I fit in with my cousins (albeit deceitfully), and I got to study!

            Beyond Thursday, however, I did not have internet connectivity, so I was unable to meet with my language partner, but I intend to meet with her via Skype this week.

            In conclusion, it wasn’t a perfect week, but I’m not sure I’ve encountered one of those yet. I am proud of my accomplishments though, because I think it’s almost a little more noteworthy to study even a little during a chaotic week than it is to study extensively during a relaxed one.