I have been learning Russian for about a year. There were times when I felt like giving up, but something would come along to cheer me up and I redoubled my efforts. But why do this at 70? When I had already started learning I heard a programme about dementia and apparently learning a new language, it is claimed helps to put off the onset of dementia. So there, indeed, is a good reason. It is one thing to learn to read and write a foreign language but speaking it and understanding it when spoken is another thing. So how do I help myself with these things. One thing I do is to listen to Russian on my phone. Even when it is in the background I believe my brain is receiving it. Just as a baby learns to speak from being surrounded by the spoken word in the home so if I listen eventually it will have a good effect. I have the Bible recorded in Russian. I was brought up on the Bible and know quite lot of the Bible and so I can pick out a story in Russian quite well. But why did I want to learn in the first place? After reading about Peter the Great I felt I wanted to know more about the "ordinary" people of Russia, like the serfs who built St Petersburg, many dying in the attempt. To get to grips with who a people are you need to learn the language. There you find out how they tick, their loves and sorrows, their fears and hopes. Another tip, try to read a passage of the chosen language out loud every day. I realise I am not doing that just now so I am glad I have reminded myself. Also on the internet it is possible to find Russian T.V. There again you can find Russian on Youtube with subtitles from President Putin's interviews to all sorts of films. This has been such an adventure learning but I do believe you need a teacher with whom you can work face to face. The corrections and help mine gives me are invaluable. So maybe it's time for you to take up a new language.
I have written in previous posts about disasters. In the case of Concorde, decisions by people, plus other factors were directly to blame for the event. In the case of the Penlee disaster it may have been avoided if someone had made a better choice in the time beforehand and as a consequence brave men and the ship's crew and the captain and his family died. 9/11 was certainly the result of wicked men committing a terrorist act, but even in this there was heroism notably by another Cornish man, Rick Rescorla who helped many to safety and left it too late to help himself. In situations like this we see what the human spirit is capable of both good and evil. What of disasters that come on people because of the earth restless movement of tectonic plates. Often people live near volcanoes because the land is rich and fertile and they have the chance of a better life there when the volcano is resting. We cannot blame them for that but sometimes people become complacent...
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