Reflections from Week 7

[Taylor Napier-Runnels]

The only problems with reflections from the previous week is I almost always forget to do them because I get so caught up in what I am learning for the next week. Last week it was definitely nice to review my vocabulary and not have as much on my plate in terms of new things to learn. Also by not having as much to learn I felt like I had more time to review the new things and make sure I understand them. I am still having trouble with grammar, specifically word order and endings, but I think the more I practice it the easier it will become. In drill we have spent a lot more time on speaking and listening which has been really helpful. This allows me to work on not freezing when questions are directed at me. It's not that I don't understand what is being said, but for some reason when I get asked a question I have a hard time listening to what is being asked of me so it's harder to respond. I also feel like when I'm asked a question that I need to respond immediately. However, Mona has been really good about speaking slowly, repeating things and emphasizing the fact that I don't have to respond to her questions immediately and can take some time to think about what she is asking and how to respond. Also, it is really helpful when she repeats my answer back to me with all of the corrections and when she writes it on the board. I am definitely more of a visual learner than an audio learner.Last week was also the Iranian New Year and Mona's mother invited us to her house in Charlottesville for dinner, but unfortunately I couldn't make it. It would have been interesting to see what dinner was like, but it was also nice that Mona explained to us what happens on New Year and how its celebrated. Also, we had to think about our cultural projects and decide what we wanted to do them on. I had a range of ideas, but I finally settled on doing my project about the poet Hafez and his influence on Iranian culture. Mona was telling us how a book of Hafez's poetry is considered a nice gift in Persian culture and how everybody has his works. She also said that a common thing to do after dinner is to read his poetry and there is also some game you do that is supposed to tell your fortune based on the poem you choose or get. I can't remember the exact details of the fortune telling and how you choose the poem, so I need to find out more from Mona. Regardless I'm excited about the project and look forward to starting it.