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Self directed learning enabled me to learn more about different language learning styles. It also helped me find and develop my own language learning style. Before I took this class I used to think that there is only one way in which a person can learn a new language properly. Now I realize I was wrong, and that languages can be learned in various ways. Personally, I discovered how much I enjoy learning while interacting with people. On the other hand, I realized the importance of having a balance between in class and in person interaction in Hindi. Sole memorization without practice makes no sense, while the combination of both helped me improve my grammar and speaking skills.

Taking this class forced me to approach Hindi more than just a language. I was challenged to think and find out about body language that is characteristic to Indian culture and society. Thus, I have been talking to my language partner and observing hand gestures and body expressions in Indian movies and soap operas. Now I feel more confident in using some of typical hand or facial movements while speaking Hindi. For example, if I want to say – yes – I can simply nod my head in a way people in the west nod for no, and Indians would understand me.

This method of learning language also encouraged me to incorporate techniques of language learning that I might not have done if I have taken a professor thought language. For example, I listened to many Bollywood songs in order to try to learn and remember certain phrases that keep on being repeated in the song. By doing this I was using alternative ways in acquiring Hindi language skills (by watching youtube videos, movies, soap operas, listening to music).

At the beginning of the class it was very challenging to come up with realistic goals and plan ways in which these goals will be achieved. Furthermore, I needed time to realize what will be the most effective way for me to approach studying on my own, creating a weekly plan and making sure I am following the schedule. This is where the MLC 105 in class discussions helped me because we shared tips and advice amongst each other and with Dr. Grove.

Readings used in the class were well planned and relevant to our language learning process. A possible improvement for the future is maybe creating a few questions that students should think about while reading the article prior to coming to class. A disadvantage in our class was a small number of students which kept discussions shorter and faster. Especially, in case someone would fail to show up for class.

I would definitely recommend to the new self-directed learners to firstly discover which kind of learner they are and how they approach a new language. I used to believe I knew which kind of learner I was, but studying entirely on my own proved that I was wrong. It is much harder to test yourself and keep on practicing when there is no direct teacher supervising you.

In order to improve as a self-learner I think I should incorporate reading more books/texts from Hindi authors on India and Hindi, as well as about the society in general. I believe this would give me a literature aspect on the culture and offer me a deeper understanding of the society.

I think MLC 105 is a well planned course. I really like the discussion portion of the class. Maybe current journal and newspaper articles could be incorporated in the list of readings. 

Initially, I believed participating in a self-directed language course would not be difficult considering I had always done very well in all of my other language courses. However, after making my own learning plan and realizing how challenging it would be be to reach those goals instructing myself. I had assumed that I was a very visual learner from the start of the course and used that throughout my practices to my advantage; in learning the entirely new alphabet that Farsi required. I came to realize very soon that the visual aspects of learning would only bring me so far in my learning journey and I would not produce as successful results as I had in my other language classes. Throughout the semester I learned more and more of what it would take for me stay on track stably as a Farsi self-directed language learner.

In my learning journey I basically utilized repetition, mainly in writing, as my self-directed activities. This taught me all of the Farsi alphabet, Farsi numbers, days of the week, family members, basic introductory conversations as well as simple conversation, and a handful of verbs to use in basic conversation. I learned also through this method better pronunciation of these words. It was clear from the beginning that Farsi pronunciation is very distinct and also difficult for non-native speakers. There were new sounds to produce which meant new ways to form these sounds with the mouth that I had had never had to form before. Through repetition, however, I would practice learning the alphabet, improve my handwriting, and also improve my pronunciation by repeating the word aloud. This was very helpful and I could always receive help from my language partner if my pronunciation was off. Also, within my learning journey my language partner suggested dialogues, between her and myself or with my roommate Laila, who is also taking Farsi. The dialogues were a tremendous help as well. As we practiced each dialogue thinking in Farsi (in only a little) became a little more easier as we had to recognize words to respond and know what should come next in a basic conversation. It was also worth while to see the progress we made through speaking in dialogues.

The most worrying challenge in self-direction would have to be time commitment. If I didn’t make sure that I practiced outside of the meetings with my self-directed language partner I would easily be able to make it up in the meetings of course, however, it would always result in us not moving forward as much as we should be able to because of the review. It was also difficult, and still is, to adapt to the grammatical structure of Farsi. To begin with Farsi is written completely backwards that was confusing enough for me when starting out. As we began to make sentences later on I noticed that I could not make sense of how the verbs were placed in relationship to the subject and other sentence particles. That definitely took a while to semi-understand. As I had mentioned before pronunciation is very different and unless I could actually here and mimic I would end up not pronouncing something correctly and prevent myself from being understood which was always frustrating. 

The self-direction in itself I found difficult as well. I have always done very well in instructor taught language courses but having to formulate my own learning plan for Farsi was difficult because it was hard to know what I should know in one semester. It was also difficult for me to utilize the resources found at the Global Studio being that I did not have a lot of free time this semester. For new self-directed learners I would recommend setting a learning plan that is realistic and appropriate for their current academic situation. I would also recommend using the Global Studio as your number one source and not just your assigned language partner. I would improve drastically if I had used it more because I was not very creative on my own in figuring out things I should learn or broadening the range of what I new, I mainly depended on my language partner for the creativity. I enjoyed the 105 course and discussing with other self-directed learners what we enjoyed and what we found to be complications in instructing ourselves. Knowing that we all were learning different languages was also interesting but the languages themselves never entered the classroom and I believe it would really make a difference to have more individual language interaction. Overall, the class provided good support in enforcing common knowledge for understanding a different language in all it’s aspects, in types of people, culture, and geographical differences.

This course, MLC 105, which is focused on self-directed language learning, has been a very impactful in developing necessary tools to enable me personally to be a proactive and independent language learner throughout my life.

What have I learned from my self-directed language activities?  The bulk of my learning has come in a cultural format.  By interacting on a regular basis with native language speakers, I was able to hear the target language in a cultural context.  I was able to pick up on cultural nuances that I would not have learned in a classroom, or in a textbook oriented learning process.  Every phrase or word I heard was first heard in impeccable accent, not in a distorted American sound.  And every time I heard a phrase I saw the body language and physical communication that accompanied the phrase.

There were specific things that I found to be most helpful as I experienced the self-directed language learning process.  Individually I would recommend any language learner to utilize the bountiful multi-media, technology based resources that are available.  I found it very helpful to watch athletic competitions in which the commentators spoke my target language.  This was especially true with soccer matches.  I am very familiar with the sport of soccer, as I have played it my entire life.  Because my knowledge base of the sport is so high, I was able to fight through the initial language barrier.  Clearly, the first few times I watched a game commentated in my target language, I was not able to understand anything that was said.  But the more times that I watched games, the more I was able to associate sounds with happenings on the pitch with words, and comprehension occurred.  Similar results could be seen in watching music videos and television shows in my target language on the Internet, using websites such as YouTube.  Even more help than watching sports or Internet clips was forcing myself to take risks with my target language.  By engaging the community of native speakers in Richmond, I was immersed in the language and its culture.  Though the prospects of immersion were initially daunting, I quickly found native speakers to be very patient in my deficiencies and to be excited to impart knowledge to an eager learner.

The biggest challenge to comprehension and retention as a self-directed language learner is motivation.  For the entirety of our scholastic lives we as students in America have been spoon-fed, being taught conformity.  Creativity is looked down upon; thinking outside the box is discouraged.  Independence is equated with delinquency.  Like robots we are crammed into the dynamic of standardized testing.  Now all of a sudden education is without bounds and parameters.  We as individuals get to determine what we learn and how we learn it?!  Because of the lack of deadlines and set rubrics, other than those that are personally set, it can be a temptation to “drop the ball”.  I was able to overcome these challenges through finding fun ways to learn my language and to regularly put myself into immersive settings.

The key for new self-directed learners is to put themselves into immersive settings.  To help facilitate this, MLC 105 should provide information for students as to opportunities in the greater Richmond area to engage communities of native speakers of their respective target languages.  For example, if a student is learning Farsi, Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services teaches ESL classes that include students from Afghanistan.  This is a great opportunity to interact with people from a specific country that speaks the target language, and will provide wonderful opportunities for accent and cultural lessons.  Another recommendation I have for the improvement of MLC 105 is that the course should be a full year.  A semester is an unfortunately short period of time to master self-directed language learning habits and practices.

Laila Hart

Final Reflection Paper

            This semester I decided to take on the challenge of learning Farsi. Farsi is spoken commonly in Iran and Afghanistan, so I focused on those two countries whenever I had to make cultural connections. Farsi posed a challenge because the language uses a symbolic alphabet and is written from right to left. I found the language to be beautiful and I caught on to the writing style very quickly. I used language programs, recitals, videos, writing out all I learned repeatedly, and most importantly, a language partner, to learn the basics of Farsi.

            I met with my language partner twice a week, unless something came up. She would write down an entire conversation for me and then have me write it down. From there, she would repeat it at least three times and I would repeat after her. Then, I would be responsible for reciting the entire conversation by myself. This all happened in one session each time we met. I loved this method of learning Farsi because it forced me to pick up the language. Having Susan teach it to me ensured that I would learn the correct pronunciation. I enjoyed the repetitiveness and felt that it greatly impacted my language proficiency. Writing down the conversations by myself was very effective because I wrote it clearly, so I had no trouble reciting it. I would also use Windows Movie Maker to record myself reading the conversations and I could hear any mistakes I needed to correct.

            I worked with Rosetta Stone on occasion, but did not find it to be incredibly useful. Rosetta Stone taught me how to pronounce words differently from Susan, so that became confusing. Susan, who is from Afghanistan, let me know the difference was a result of Rosetta Stone using Iranian-rooted Farsi. Dari is the name of Afghan Farsi.  The other challenge posed happened in the early sessions with the alphabet. I had the hardest time reciting the alphabet in the correct order, but if I wrote it out I was fine. It became very frustrating, but I must remember that it takes time. There are 32 letters in Farsi and I know them all now.

            New self-directed learners should know one thing: to not be hard on themselves if they cannot pick up the language pronunciations right away. This is something I struggled with. It was hard for us to memorize the English alphabet at one point, so we should not expect to learn a completely different alphabet in two sessions. I also feel that new language learners should listen to the language spoken at least a couple of times a week. Even if you do not understand what is being said, you can pick up the rhythm of the language. Also, it really does help to write out conversations and understand what each pen stroke means. This helped me make sense of everything.

      I feel that I could have been a better language learner if I had more time to practice weekly. By this, I mean practicing by myself. At times, it took me longer than I wanted to master certain conversations, which delayed my ability to move on to a new conversation. I would have also liked to listen to Farsi being spoken more times during the week.  Basically, I just had issues with time management at certain parts of the semester.

       My suggestions to improve MLC 105 are to have smaller presentations throughout the semester to showcase what we learned. I know that not all students shared the same learning plan, but maybe we could have presented the alphabet, greetings, how to tell time, etc. for each other. I think this would have been interesting to hear about and better measure the progress of language learners. Also, I really enjoyed hearing the cultural shock stories presented, so hearing more about that would be great. I think requiring us to film a video speaking to our language partner in the target language could also be a fun alternative to a blog post. Overall, I did enjoy the course and hope to continue learning Farsi in the semesters to come. I plan to manage  my time better and learn even more.

I was intrigued by each of my classmates cultural projects because they incorporated a lot more personal experience than mine did. I was most interested my the rickshaw drivers presented in Nina's cultural project because it signifies an everyday experience for people in India. It also demonstrated for me the economic state that many people are facing in India. Rickshaw industries are major employers within India and many employed by them barely make any money as they are renting and paying back for what they use. I also found the topic Nina chose to be enjoyable because it is something anyone and everyone can experience if they visit India.

Lily's project I found informative as well as familiar because I grew up with many predominantly Jewish neighborhoods surrounding me. I found it very interesting as she recited all the differing sects of Judaism and the geographical distances that set them apart. I was also amazed at the differing races that come with Judaism, ranging from European, to Asian and to African. From how Lily put it I could access that Judaism is a very accepting religion of other cultures as that did not keep other sects from being labeled as Jewish.

I found Laila's project to be very helpful for myself as we both are studying the same language of Farsi. It was interesting to learn of the eating habits people in Farsi speaking countries as learn the reasons as to why they chose those things to eat. Laila also focused on how it is appropriate to ask for food in a restaurant and ask for food for others eating with you which I found helpful. I also enjoyed the segment of Laila's project where she gave a miniature cooking lesson with a popular Iranian meal.

Initially, I had anticipated basing my cultural project on gender roles within Afghanistan or Iran. Instead I decided on Weddings in Iran and then incorporated some information about basic gender roles in Iran because of lack of information. Gender roles I though would be an important aspect of culture because of religious turbulence in the Middle East the lack of support for women.

I turned to weddings instead because I really enjoy them. I frequently watch the show say yes to the dress, where I had seen a few extravagant Persian weddings, and I believed it would be an enjoyable topic and would tie in gender roles as well if I talked about rate of marriage and age of marriages. Incidentally, the rate and age of marriage have changed drastically over the years as women are now receiving more of a say in how early they would like to marry. This was something I had not been quite expecting because I had always assumed religion and tradition bound most women to marrying early. The ending of my project which summarized my insight on marriages that are as heavily arranged as Persian ones tend to be should be further explored, especially as Iran is morphing socially into accepting the rights of women openly.

My learning goals based on what I plan to achieve from learning Farsi in the long-term.SDLAP_learningplan.pages

Through meeting with Susan everyday I was able to learn a lot more than what I would have expected myself to learn alone while being an extremely busy college student. Our first few meetings we focused on learning the Farsi alphabet and we for the most part worked on that a majority of out visits as I learned new vocabulary and attempted to spell them correctly with this brand new alphabet. I found pronunciation to be a very difficult task while working with Susan because sounds I am not at all familiar with became expected of me and it was frequently quite a struggle to speak words appropriately and efficiently. 

The speed at which we went through lessons was comfortable as well as I spent a lot more time on the reading and writing aspects of learning, as I am more comfortable with that, than I did with speaking aloud. When it came time for our sessions this was usually my time to practice speech with Susan and having someone to guide me through rather than practicing alone was always a relief. Our lessons were also informative in how they incorporated information about culture: what people eat, how people speak to one another etc.

Overall I enjoyed the experience of working with a language partner. It relieved some of the pressure of teaching myself a language and made it sort of an informal classroom setting which I am very comfortable with. I also appreciated my language partner keeping me on track with my goals and helping me formulate plans on what I should be learning. 

My cultural project was about Persian Weddings and was able to virtually explore the types of music played at weddings and general types of Persian speaking music as well. Popular music in Persian speaking countries is recent and more often than not music is imported instead of made. This might be because in Iran and Afghanistan celebrity musicians are not as frequent as Western countries and those who are quite popular are known by everyone. 

Early pop music in Iran actually consisted of imitating many musicians from Western countries such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Latin romance rhythms were also introduced into this music. However, a few decades later Iranian officials began to produce and promote a more appropriate and decent style of pop music that would compete against the Western-style music. This type of music was well received in iran as it was domestically made and produced a national pride in the people.

Persian music is not very popular because extremely strict regulations discourage people from attempting to make albums and even publish a song. Firstly, permits must be obtained to perform or publish any music through the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Through this process it will usually take three years for an album to get a permit. Artists like Canadian-Iranian Mozhdah Jamalzadah, who have long since fled the country, use their opportunity to make Persian pop music regardless of their location. Attempts made by artists like Mozhdah are bringing Iran and Afghanistan closer to forming an identity in the popular music and entertainment industry which will bring these countries closer to forming a modern identity.

When I first began conducting research for my cultural project the first thing I asked my language partner about were any specific practices/ceremonies done for children that specified gender - as my topic was originally gender roles. Susan informed me that there is a naming ceremony heavily celebrated after the sixth day of birth for a child. On that day there is a celebration with family and food and the newborn is named. It is called شب شش (Sheb Shesh) or the sixth night. There is also a Child's Day or د،ذ ک،رک (Rozeh Kodek). It is held for children around school age which when Susan was in school was around 7 years old and has now gone done to as young as 5 years old. Reason's for this celebration could be that birthdays are not heavily celebrated so celebrations including many children occur instead. 

It is also around school age that children must learn to pray as it is practiced to pray several times a day. Along with prayer expectations of the child were expressed and children are taught to respect their elders similar to many countries and always make sure the elders eat first. Elders are also spoken formally to and always greeted with 'salam', from Susan's experience. School life for children was included in Susan's explanation as well. While the boys had their sports activities the girls most often participated in theater while it was offered to all of them. The boys uniform usually consists of slacks and buttoned shirt while the girls wear a long black dress and white head dress daily. Susan complained of the complete lack of personal expression in schools as jewelry or any other kind of accessories were allowed her entire school career nor when open toed shoes. The school regulations have stricter expectations of children than what Susan expressed to me in her everyday at home life.

My main interest in learning of Irani and Afghan culture was that of gender roles as we see the disparities women in these countries face. Before I had the chance to learn anything about countries like Afghanistan and Iran I had always assumed that life for women was like what I saw on television: no freedom of expression or self. I had assumed that the extremists of their countries were limiting them to their homes. After speaking with my language partner and even watching media from Afghanistan I learned that there is a lot of similarity to an Afghan woman's life similar to that of an American women and I had been too blinded by stereotypes on television to notice this. 

Susan, my language partner, described to me what a normal day for her was like in her home in Afghanistan when she was in high school. She would go to school in the morning separate from the boys at that age, however, they basically were taught the same coursework. After school is where there were differences as there were many activities available for the boys and none for the girls. Girls often returned home after school having nothing else to do. Susan said that occasionally she would have friends visit her home but her mother never wanted her to visit others homes to be bothersome (very similar to my own mother). One activity Susan discussed was going out with her parents to shop or see a movie. Other than that another activity Susan partook in was household chores shared between herself and her sister. As she became older it was expected of Susan and her sister to take on the household work for their mother.

Although, I do see gender roles demanding that women be the one to take care of household work instead of men I also noted that Modern day Afghanistan is in some ways very similar to the Western world. Afghanistan has changed in recent years to include women in many more activities and give them equal access to more of the world that they were denied in more traditional times. I found it surprising to hear of daily schedules not so different from mine when I was in high school, especially in what I thought was an area strictly divided between sexes.

My cultural project was about cuisine in Farsi-speaking countries such as Afghanistan and Iran. I explored what people eat for each of the three meals, what foods are the most common, food offering etiquette, restaurants, and learned the names of foods in Farsi.

Farsi Recipe

Farsi Sheet

 I thoroughly enjoyed everyone's presentations and will review each one since I took notes.

1. Lily

     Her presentation was very informative. She looked at the split between Sephardi and Ashkenazim Jews. I learned  that Hebrew is a prime example of a language that was influenced by and built upon by other languages. For example, there was Ladino, Judeo Portuguese, and Catalan forms of Hebrew. I also did not know that there were Jewish communities in some of the countries mentioned. There are Ethiopian Jews, Asian Jews, Yemenite Jews, and even Mizarahi Jews. I did not realized that Judaism was passed down through the mother. This is very different from Farsi and Islamic culture because that focuses on the role of men.

2.NiNa

    I thoroughly enjoyed Nina's presentation because I had never heard anything about a Rickshawala before. It was an interesting concept. Rickshaws are basically little cars that can be rented by drivers, comparable to taxis in America in a way. They do not have seatbelts or doors, so I do not think I could ever get into one now. If I was born there, I would not have that fear of course. I learned that this is a major employer in India and anyone takes a rickshaw (whether they be low-income, rich, or famous). I also learned that you need to negotiate the price of the fare before even entering the vehicle.

3. Danielle

      Danielle talked about Marriage in the Middle East. This presentation showed me that Middle Eastern couples value marriage much more than anyone in America. There is the courting process and much family input to see if the pair is fit. I really enjoyed the sacredness of the wedding and they all seemed genuine. I appreciate the tradition such as the knife dance and the honey. It was absolutely adorable that the marriage is built off of "sweetness," so many sweet items are incorporated into the wedding. This relates to my presentation in that it shows food plays a major role not only at small events, but at big ones as well.

My cultural project was about cuisine in Farsi-speaking countries such as Afghanistan and Iran. I explored what people eat for each of the three meals, what foods are the most common, food offering etiquette, restaurants, and learned the names of foods in Farsi.

I found it interesting that there were KFCs and McDonalds in Afghanistan. I know McDonalds is a huge chain restaurant, but I did not picture it in the Middle East. I learned that the menu is not the traditional one we see in America, but it caters to the dietary likes of Middle Eastern people. The foods are served spicier and they are not piled with cheese as it is in America.

 Since the cultures in the Middle East are so caring and familiar, it is impolite not to offer guests food or drinks when they show up. Guests do not necessarily have to call in, but if  they come over they should be offered something. In turn, it is impolite to refuse guest from a host. The host offering you food or drinks is a sign that they care about your wellbeing.

I found out that men often go to restaurants for lunch breaks at work. Some of these restaurants are not as sanitary as they should be. I have a friend from Iran whose brother, a worker, ate meat at a restaurant and caught Hepatitis. The water quality is not that great, so occurrences such as this are far from extreme.

At restaurants, it is impolite to tip because that means you are judging the worth of another.

A famous dish that I found is Qabuli Palau, which is a blend of rice, vegetables, raisins, and meats. The recipe varies depending on who makes it. This food is served mainly at lunch and large gatherings.

I would like to explore more about the meat quality and rice harvesting in these two countries. I was not expecting them to be big on dairy products, but that is not the case.

I met with Susan to discuss aspects of my cultural project about food, so she gave me the run down of food in Afghanistan.

Tea is to be served after each meal, especially lunch and dinner. Chocolate and sweets can be served alongside the tea.

Breakfast in Afghanistan typically includes eggs,milk,sweet tea with bread, and any oil foods. The eggs are usually served fried with tomato and onion. Although dairy is common, cheese is not served with many of the meals. If you go to restaurants in Afghanistan, you will certainly find some foods containing feta.

Lunch consists some sort of rice, meat, and vegetable combination. Rice (barinj) is served alongside most, if not all, meals in Afghanistan. Popular meats include veal, goat, sheep, and chicken. Pork is not consumed based on religious values; pigs are toxic.

Dinner is the time when the entire family will sit down to eat. The cuisine is basically the same as lunch.

It is important to eat meals three times a day and to treat the body well.

  I decided to research the history of music in Iran since I do not know much about it. There were four main genres that i discovered: classical, symphonic,folk, and pop. This made me wonder if each genre of music carried some of the same historical characteristics as American music. I will discuss each genre and give an example of music from the specific era. One genre that is often ignored when it comes to research is Iranian rap, but I discovered that on my own academic quest.

First, Classical music was deeply rooted in the Sassanid era. The Sasssanid era  was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire. After this era,  the country name shifted from "Persia" to what is know as Iran today. Classical music at this time was reserved for the royal courts of the monarchy. This is comparative to early music in America which was seen as a form of entertainment for the upper class. Classical music was well written and "classy," so it is not surprising that the elite felt entitled to this genre. This music also gained popularity in Iran after it was able to be recorded on cassette tapes in later years. I found an interesting fact about women in classical music. They were not allowed to sing solos for male audiences, but were allowed to do so if they were singing for females. Early Classical music in America was male-dominated as well and males would dress as females if a female was ever needed.

The symphonic era in Iran was also interesting. It is believed that operatic music developed in Iran long before it was picked up in Europe. A common sub-genre is Tazeeieh, which is very dramatic and emotionally driven. The audiences are so emotionally attached to this music based on videos I've seen. 

Watch An Iranian Opera

Folk music in Iran is connected to classical music as far as the emotions go.Folk music strays away from the usage on instruments. The vocals set the mood for the song rather than using instruments to set the tone. There is much room for improvisation in Iranian folk music as well. 

Maryam Akhondy is a in a category of her own because she is a classical Iranian singer. It is very rare to find women who are able to have a career period and especially one as a singer. This is because of general customs and norms in Iranian society.

Female Iranian Classical Singer

Pop music emerged in Iran in the 1950s after the guitar was introduced and became increasing popular in the late 1970s. This as a result of the Iranian Revolution and many artists fled to the U.S. to pursue their careers. 

Iranian Pop: Listen Up

I think that this was a successful semester of language learning.  It was a different, and frustrating experience to not have a steady language partner to work with.  Last year I might have said that my favorite part about Hindi is writing it because I like working in the script, but this semester has definitely made me realize that what I most enjoy is speaking the language.  

I spent a portion of the semester reviewing material I had previously learned, but forgotten especially since I did not use Hindi over the summer.  I now feel more comfortable than ever with this material, particularly the past tense which I have previously struggled with.  I learned a lot about immigration first hand through talking with the kids I tutor. I learned several new, useful verb constructs.  I can write them all well, and I would feel comfortable incorporating almost all of them into a conversation in Hindi.  Education definitely became my focus throughout the semester.  I was able to interview Saifali about his education.  The interview was very informative.  Among other things, I learned that Saifali went to private school and that he was taught in Hindi and English.  He did not live at school, because his home was very close and classes only lasted about six hours per day.  He attended a co-educational school and they learned about religion as part of their curriculum.  These were the most interesting things that I took away from our interview.  I was also pleased with my ability to read a newspaper article reasonably well that related to education.

I was very happy with the oral assessment that Nina and I completed together.  It was great to know that my conversational skills have not gotten rusty, even without speaking the language very regularly.  As I wrote in my evaluation, I was most proud of my ability to explain things that Nina did not understand in an alternative way, using different verbs or descriptive words.  This was something new for me, as I have always spoken to people who are much more advanced Hindi speakers than myself.  Thus, I have always been the person to need something explained in a different way.

I was satisfied with my individual presentational speaking that was recorded, as well.  I am actually glad I did that component without specifically preparing a monologue in advance, even though I was nervous about it at the time.  I am someone who really likes to prepare for things, and practice them a lot in advance.  This showed me that I may underestimate my ability to speak spontaneously and without prompt from someone else.  I was able to say essentially everything that I would have otherwise prepared, and with minimal error.