The first language I studied apart from English and German, was Russian. When I was a teenager, the interest really spiked when seeing Russian log-carrying ships passing by my home. I remember I started learning how to count, which was fairly easy. Then I moved on to the letters and the sounds…. in the end, I could do some moderate conversation in Russian. But, then the interest suddenly died. Today, both my German and Russian is all but gone… I really don’t remember much of it.
When I sarted sailing on cruise ships, Tagalog was quickly absorbed, together with Indonesian. But today, because I do not happen to use any of them so much from day to day, they are easily forgotten. Basic Vietnamese was really cool to learn, but I never took time to learn the writing and the grammar. Thai was by far the most difficult language I have ever encountered, perhaps because I have set really high standards for myself to meet. But, in fact, it’s really cool to be able to read, write and speak Thai even today.
A few years ago, because of a proposal made to me, I threw a lot of money into a Hindi language course. I did well, it was fun, and I fell in love with Inida. Even right now, when I think of India, it’s with great passion and enthusiasm. Before I ended, I had completed some 76 lectures in Hindi and off course, I was very proud of myself for having completed so many steps and lessons.
Learning is fun. I love studying. I love reading. I love writing. I love the world.
So now, I’m on the verge to do something really wild AGAIN. I’m thinking about something new, study something different. There are two subjects I’m most enthusiastic about right now, both are languages. I would like to take up studies in Chinese or continue where I left of my Arabic language course many years ago.
The perhaps most important question is, will I ever have a need to learn another language again? Is there a good reason to do go ahead and do this? Learning a new language does involve a certain cost and a whole lot of effort. There always seems to be enough people around me shaking their head at me, telling me that I won’t do well anyway, and that I should just relax and slow down.
But, as I said, I love studying, and I do love the world. I wonder, should I listen to what other people want me to do or be, or should I do as I dam please?
