|
 Some of my Croaticum class at the Fakultet
I was told this semester by my teacher, Sanda, that she would be teaching us so much Croatian and giving us so much grammar, that it would be coming out our nose. Now that is quite an image!  My teacher, Sanda
Language learning has been interesting, challenging, and at times very funny. There is so much grammar and vocabulary to learn. It is frustrating to realize that after a month long course in the summer and a semester of Croatian, I still can’t hold much of a conversation in Croatian and I still get “the deer in the headlights” look when someone asks me a question. But, I am making progress. Sometimes I actually say a Croatian word without thinking and it is often the right word. Last week, I answered a question at our women’s Bible study in Croatian! I had to write it down and look up a word or two, but I knew most of it and best of all – the other women understood what I was saying!
Of course, I have also had many good laughs over what comes out of my mouth. When I was asked what I wear in the winter, I replied, “Nosim toplu dijecu – I wear warm children” instead of “Nosim toplu odjecu – I wear warm clothes.” And trying to pronounce some Croatian words like “istraživačica”, "jedriličarska reprezentacija", "srednjodalmatinski" and "člankonošce” makes for tongue twisters! And what about those words with no vowels like "smrt".
Like I said it has been a challenge but I am making progress. A friend from church just called and invited us to a piano concert his daughter is in, and although I didn't understand everything - I got the general idea. So tonight at eight, Ellie Beth and I will be at a children's concert.
|
