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what i’ve learned about language learning after 4+ years abroad
“if i spend years in central europe without even bothering to study languages… what a waste of time that would be!” i had this thought shortly after a fateful conversation occurred, the one that spurred me to finally sign up for a czech language class. more and more, this statement continues to be so correct. since last autumn, i’ve kicked my language learning into high gear when my german group course was cancelled, taking it as a sign to sign up for an individual german tutor. so since october, i’ve had weekly german and czech lessons… but turns out, studying two languages simultaneously takes a lot of work. suddenly, it…
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american in a czech german class
it might seem a little strange but i’m taking german classes in the czech republic… even though i’ve lived here for a year and a half and speak very little czech. but it to me it makes perfect sense, and here’s why. when we moved to czech republic, we decided to play things by ear, and even now, we re-evaluate every six months what we would do for the next six months. unsure of how long i would stay here, i never wanted to commit to any long-term czech classes, even though i love language learning. i was a bit concerned about the usefulness of knowing czech after leaving the…