Plateau

I'm not working very hard at learning Polish these days. Morale in the Polish department is low. Basically I've realised that if I am to make real progress in this language that I need to spend much, much more time working on it. If I continue with my current approach I may speak decent Polish in a few years. Not good enough!

As things are, I spend only two or three hours a week doing Polish homework (including time posting here, as you can tell from my recent post frequency). I do about two hours of great conversation with my teacher each week. The conversations are great for my morale and my teacher helps me say all those things I'm dying to say in Polish. I usually go in feeling a little scared, wondering what tough questions she will ask me, and feeling embarrassed when I ask the same stupid question the 100th time. I leave each week feeling like if I just keep it up that I will get there . . . but I know once a week is not enough. It's no surprise - unless you speak the language you're trying to learn every day, you're not giving yourself the best chance to learn.

I know it may sound bizarre that I don't speak Polish every day, living here in Warsaw. But it's true. I listen to the radio in Polish every day and sometimes have a pretty good idea what they are talking about. Other times I really have no clue. Listening to family conversations on topics and stories with with I'm already familiar I can follow along relatively well. Really, I miss most of what I hear. In new situations with new people and unfamiliar topics, I understand basically nothing. It's pretty hard on the morale, having been here for so long and to still have such rudimentary skills.

This week I'll seek out another (additional, not different!) teacher so I can speed my progress some in the next months. In January I'll get back into a group course . . . I've heard good reports (and seen some real results) from a friend of mine in Warsaw who has made fantastic progress in a short time. He studies . . . !

More posts in Polish coming soon. I know that's what you come here for - I'll do my best to deliver something this week!