If yes, how’s it going? What do you like about it? What don’t you like? What challenges are you encountering? How are you approaching it?

I ask because my partner and i both decided last year we would start doing a little language learning in our spare time, and it’s been quite nice to have that “back to school” feeling again after so many years.

  • cfgaussian@lemmygrad.mlOP
    7·
    20 days ago

    I’m sorry to hear that. Hope things get better for you. For me learning a bit at the end of each day relaxes me.

      • cfgaussian@lemmygrad.mlOP
        4·
        20 days ago

        I’m doing Chinese and Russian and my partner is doing Japanese and Romanian. We try to motivate each other to keep at it by checking in on each other’s progress every now and then.

          • cfgaussian@lemmygrad.mlOP
            5·
            20 days ago

            For my partner it’s pretty simple: my native language is Romanian and we often visit Romania to see family. As for why Japanese, i think it’s the usual reason why many Westerners get into it: anime. Lol.

            For me it’s essentially cultural affinity. I have long had a fascination with Russian culture and history and i want to understand Russia better. I would also like to take trips to Russia at some point, hopefully once things calm down and my government won’t treat me like a criminal for doing so anymore.

            As for Chinese, now with China being the rising global power it’s clearly going to become more culturally relevant, and i am beginning to consume more Chinese media, and i would like to get immersed in the culture through the language. And visiting China is also definitely on my list, just like my partner wants to visit Japan.

            Also, i think it’s just a fun challenge. The languages are so different that it’s almost like exercising completely different parts of my brain. They’re also in language families that i haven’t learned before and i thought that would be more interesting than learning yet another Romance or Germanic language, which i have done before.

            I’m not expecting to become very proficient in either, just enough to get by as a tourist. In the meantime it gives me something constructive to do in my spare time. I find having that kind of routine is good for mental health.