I\u2019ve said before, one of my\u00a0favorite things in life is\u00a0to learn new things. I learn new things for fun. I would totally take all my vacation days to learn new things.<\/p>\n
When\u00a0I first landed in Russia\u00a0I was dying to explore this city and learn what there was to know.<\/p>\n
One of the major things to know was the Russian language.<\/p>\n
When I first got there, the easiest people to interact with were the clerks in shops. The clerks didn\u2019t know English, and I didn\u2019t know Russian.
\nI had my opening line:<\/p>\n
\u201cSkolka Stoeet<\/em>?- How much does this cost?\u201d<\/p>\n The first time, the clerk gave up after numerous attempts to tell me who much it cost, and grabbed a piece of paper and pen and wrote it down.<\/p>\n Oh! First lesson in Russian conversation: always have a pen and paper to have the person write it down.<\/p>\n When it\u2019s written, I can understand it. Or if I don\u2019t, I can flip open my dictionary and the clerk will help me understand what is being said.<\/p>\n I would go back to the flat, triumphant with strange foods and items that I purchased at the store. After a time, I noticed my mom didn\u2019t leave the house like I did.<\/p>\n Also, she was not learning Russian as fast as me.<\/p>\n \u201cMom! You should get out. How else are you supposed to learn?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like not being able to talk. I am used to being able to communicate easily, and I\u2019m proud of the vocabulary I have in my native language. I don\u2019t want to have to sound stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n I understood what she said then, as the 19-year-old I was.<\/p>\n Now I understand it even better. Now I am close to the age my mother was when she said that.<\/p>\n I understand the desire to protect myself by making sure to present a tight surface of put-togetherness, of I-can-handle-this.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve felt how people can be waiting to pounce on an admission of weakness and exploit ignorance to push me under and behind.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easier to fake it here. I know the language back here in America. And I miss the blazing ignorance of my time in Russia.<\/p>\n Every single moment was an opportunity to learn something new. It was impossible not to.<\/p>\n In my life now, I know how to get ready for my day and proceed through it. I have already figured out the answers, and I am sure to get a solid A.<\/p>\n Which basically means my day is a treadmill. That wasn\u2019t what I wanted. That\u2019s not why I learned the answers.<\/p>\n Davno oozhe para<\/em>-It\u2019s high time to learn something new.<\/p>\n I need to get stupid again.<\/p>\n I want to put myself in situations where I don\u2019t know, so I can experience the joy of learning. The only way to learn something new is to be completely ignorant about it before I learn it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve said before, one of my\u00a0favorite things in life is\u00a0to learn new things. I learn new things for fun. I would totally take all my vacation days to learn new things. When\u00a0I first landed in Russia\u00a0I was dying to explore … Continue reading