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.