I can confirm, that I am still standing even after some quite big hits to the ears, and ego.

Learning Polish.

Each day, beginning again, and again and AGAIN.

Sharp redirect

The grammar method and focus on exercises almost took me out (or knocked me out). I closed the cases without finishing them all, got an exercise book and switched to listening practice. A total sift in approach was needed to get me refocused. The beginning was refreshing but I hit a wall after a couple of weeks of podcasting in Polish.

LISTENING my WAY OUT OF TROUBLE

I spent about two months on episodes from A1 to B2 level online. I listened to talks/conversations on

• blog posting
• going to a party
• moving to Poland
• studying in Poland
• watching sports
• cleaning 🙂
• Going on vacation to Greece 🙂
• family occasions
• Polish weddings
• New year’s eve plans
• After the party
• Quitting school
• Money – saving, spending, investing
• Going to university/Leaving university

Shall I keep going? There’s so many more. I think what I got from this experience was wow, some topics I know better than others and that means that from some I get a confidence boost that a lot is understood while with other topics I didn’t have a clue. So huge spectrum shift. This daily exercise was very repetitive as I tried to get used to the speed at which Polish people speak, and hear the words that put together a thought, a sentence, an idea.

Tough to stay focused when you hear people conversing and get lost COMPLETELY! After over two months of this, I learned a large number of new words on a variety of topics. So that’s positive, BUT….it’s completely scrambled.

You don’t know unless you try

I went to the bookstore and bought the exercise book not the coursebook for the next level of Polish. Mistake? I wouldn’t know unless I tried. That’s my motto in this. It has about 20 units and I’m methodically working through it. This is much better than the grammar book, as it has reading and listening as well as vocabulary! Oh god I LOVE VOCABULARY!

But I hate liczba mnoga (pluralin Polish) I just can’t stand learning all these different versions of a word. Now I know the frustration students have when doing word formation in my classes! Love doing the reading and vocabulary though. So much great language in the context of the subjects. Did, a reading on animals and NAILED IT! Did a reading on relationships and didn’t know A GOD DAMN THING!

As I think you have surmised it’s a love/hate endeavor that’s growing steadily into a long-term, steady relationship! How lovely.

I can confirm that for the summer months I have decided to lower the load with just index cards. I have already started this new adventure and wow is it fun! A great memory game has commenced and I will updated you all in the next post about the progress but I am ROCKING this task with a daily count and the “learned” stack is getting taller and taller! wooooo hooooo

Stay tuned for more on that front. I’m on a mission to learn this language. Here we go!

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