Dull moments in the US
As a foreigner, I still struggle with some English even though I’ve been learning it since I was eight. Sometimes my English works very well but there are some moments when I forget, misunderstand or say incorrectly the simplest words.
Once I was talking to my host sister and I forgot the word “jump”, so I just started jumping saying “How do you call this activity?” Another time I was sitting with other students after lunch. One girl asked me did I like lunch and what I ate. I replied: “I took kitchen and a salad.” She laughed, “What did you take?” “Kitchen and salad, oh and I took a dessert, a piece of a pie.” Then I realized that I messed up the words “chicken” and “kitchen”. I know it’s stupid but they really sound very similar.
The problem is that I study not only English but French so sometimes I remember the word in French but can’t say it in English. So, I had the dullest moment walking around with my friends. We were walking near the wood and I remembered I saw a rooster one day who lives in that wood. However, I used a French word for rooster. So, you may just google it to understand why other people looked at me like “What on Earth have you just said?”
Sometimes it takes time for me to understand other people quickly enough. The problem is that we study British English in Russia, so we used to hear British words and accents. I sometimes know the word but can’t understand because of the American accent. Yesterday we were hanging out with my friends and one of them showed us a picture with a ring made of carrot. There was the inscription under the image "two-carat ring". Everyone was laughing and so did I, as I thought it is funny that the ring is made of carrot. After ten minutes when everyone forgot about the joke I got it. I understood that the "two-carat ring" sounds similar to "two carrots ring" as it was made of two carrots. I laughed even it was a little late. So, I’m trying not to be sad because of my late reaction sometimes since I am in the middle of studying.
The good method to keep motivation for me is to look back to the past. What was my level a month ago? Could I understand fluent English of my History professor half a year ago as I do it now? One step at a time and there are no shortcuts to any place worth going. So, I realize I am not alone in my challenge and step by step after some time I will succeed.
Once I was talking to my host sister and I forgot the word “jump”, so I just started jumping saying “How do you call this activity?” Another time I was sitting with other students after lunch. One girl asked me did I like lunch and what I ate. I replied: “I took kitchen and a salad.” She laughed, “What did you take?” “Kitchen and salad, oh and I took a dessert, a piece of a pie.” Then I realized that I messed up the words “chicken” and “kitchen”. I know it’s stupid but they really sound very similar.
The problem is that I study not only English but French so sometimes I remember the word in French but can’t say it in English. So, I had the dullest moment walking around with my friends. We were walking near the wood and I remembered I saw a rooster one day who lives in that wood. However, I used a French word for rooster. So, you may just google it to understand why other people looked at me like “What on Earth have you just said?”
Sometimes it takes time for me to understand other people quickly enough. The problem is that we study British English in Russia, so we used to hear British words and accents. I sometimes know the word but can’t understand because of the American accent. Yesterday we were hanging out with my friends and one of them showed us a picture with a ring made of carrot. There was the inscription under the image "two-carat ring". Everyone was laughing and so did I, as I thought it is funny that the ring is made of carrot. After ten minutes when everyone forgot about the joke I got it. I understood that the "two-carat ring" sounds similar to "two carrots ring" as it was made of two carrots. I laughed even it was a little late. So, I’m trying not to be sad because of my late reaction sometimes since I am in the middle of studying.
The good method to keep motivation for me is to look back to the past. What was my level a month ago? Could I understand fluent English of my History professor half a year ago as I do it now? One step at a time and there are no shortcuts to any place worth going. So, I realize I am not alone in my challenge and step by step after some time I will succeed.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about your language barrier! Of course, I knew you were from Russia and that English is not the first language there, but somehow as Americans we can easily forget that others don't pick up on our sayings quite as quickly and it can get confusing. I have so much respect for you taking on such a big task/change!