This is what life feels like right now! For those that haven't done this process of moving to a new country and learning a new language, it is an interesting but exhausting experience. The new information just keeps coming at you despite the fact that you already feel overwhelmed and want to scream at it to stop. Thankfully, I already feel like I have learned a lot but I know there is still so much to learn!
I am currently studying Indonesian or Bahasa Indonesia, as it is called here. I am studying at the Indonesian Language Center for Cross-Cultural Communication (IMLAC). There are two campuses of IMLAC, one in the city of Bandung in West Java, Indonesia and one in the town of Salatiga in Central Java, Indonesia. I am studying at the school in Salatiga.
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| View of the school from the road |
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| Yep I get to climb those steps twice a day every day, but at least it is beautiful |
To give you a little glimpse into life here, this is what a typical day of language learning looks like for me... I get up in the morning and do a couple of hours of studying and homework. I walk to school just before 11 am for a Unit 2 grammar class that lasts an hour. In this class, we focus on all the different ways you can conjugate root words (kata dasar) to make verbs (kata kerja) by adding different prefixes and suffixes. I am with two others students in this class, they are a married couple from South Korea.
I walk home again for a quick lunch and head back to the school for Unit 4. For this class period, I am the only student. This class usually lasts two hours. It starts with a prayer in Bahasa Indonesia by me and singing of a couple of songs in Indonesian. Then I stand up to give a presentation, based on questions I had for homework the day before. Then I am asked a series of questions by the teacher regarding that assignment, that I have to answer. After that I get to sit down again and the teacher writes everything that I said wrong or sentences that were not grammatically correct on the white board. We go through them one-by-one, until I understand what I did wrong and the correct way to do it. Then depending on the day we either do a reading assignment or grammar lesson. Most days are reading assignments. First the teacher reads and explains any words or concepts I didn't understand. Then I read it. Finally I have to explain the concepts or main points of the story in my own words (yep still in Bahasa Indonesia). Then once again we go through and correct anything I said incorrectly in that process. Finally we go over the homework assignment. Usually my homework relates in some way to my reading. If there is time left, I get to spend some time talking about or telling a story about me or from my life in Bahasa Indonesia. I am done with official classroom learning around 3 pm.
After a few minutes chatting with other students I start walking home. When I have the energy, I start my homework on the way home. My homework consists of questions to ask my neighbors and people at the little stores near my house. Usually I stop at one of those little stores for a snack or something we need around the house. Slowly but surely as I walk to and from school and stop in these little stores on a regular basis I building up my network of people with whom I can practice my Bahasa Indonesia.
When I get home I tend to hibernate a bit and let my brain relax with something in English :) Then I get to work on the homework for both of my classes, which includes grammar drills, writing several sentences with new words I have learned and preparing my presentation. I have found that doing a few hours of homework in the evening and then a few hours the next morning, seems to work the best.
Here are just a few pictures from the last couple of weeks of language learning...
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| A page from my reading assignment last week, with my notes. |
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| The white board with corrections on it after one of my recent presentations |
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| Sometimes I bring a friend to class :) |
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