Learning a Foreign Language

R.a.n.t. of week 10/27/13

Learning a foreign language is something I've always wanted to do. As far back as High School, I wanted to learn German. (Another RANT that discussed this can be found: HERE) The problem with trying to learn a language no one around you speaks, is it's hard to stick to and be dedicate to. So learning German outside of school didn't last long. Truth be told, it didn't last much while I was still in school. However, lately I've been attempting another language, this time there are others around me who also speak the language. So I automatically have a plus when it comes to learning it. An additional advantage is learning the language for a good reason. Had I learned German, it would have been neat to know, but there would have been no real call for it. This time, as I learn the foreign language, I can hopefully use what I have learned to help teach others the bible. Those who truly know me, know how important this is to me. But this wouldn't be a proper r.a.n.t. without something to complain about, would it?

Unlike German, the 'Karen' language I'm learning has it's own characters. So before I could even begin to start learning the language, I had to learn to read the characters. But that isn't even the hard part. The hard part has come after that. As you will have noticed, I'm a writer and I love to write. As a writer, I am fairly adept at the English language and have many, many words at my disposal. Depending on how I want to write something, I can vary the words I utilize to give different connotations. What does that have to do with anything? Well, learning a new language is a very humbling experience. (See last weeks r.a.n.t. on how humble I claim to be). Essentially, I'm starting from scratch and anything I want to say in the language is very simple. As I strive to learn, I know I will stumble, I will say silly things, I will be corrected or criticized, I will get frustrated, I may even get teased. But no one said learning a language was going to be easy. That's all good though, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.