Tag: college

Language learning and Mongolian – a few thoughts

Published on by HeatherLeave a comment

Wednesday we took our Mongolian language final. I may still have the vocabulary of a very small child, but at least I can tell you I rode a horse and milked a cow in four different tenses. Now that the language class has come to an end, I thought I’d share a few pearls of wisdom/random facts I’ve picked up over the last couple of months.

Since there are like three million people in Mongolia, and Mongolian isn’t spoken in any other country, I’m guessing most of you don’t know anything about the language. Which is good news for me, since it means that almost anything I write here will be at least mildly informative.

1. It really bothers me that I’m two months into my time here in Mongolia and I still don’t know how to say “please.”

Actually, scratch that, it’s not that I don’t know how to say “please,” it’s just that there’s no stand-alone word for it. There are more polite ways to say things, and less polite ways to say things. And unfortunately, the less polite, informal way of saying or asking something is usually less complicated than the polite, formal way of saying something. So I only ever remember the informal bits that make me come off a bit clipped and rushed.

2. In Mongolian, everything has a suffix.

Mongolian grammar usually involves slapping a suffix on a word to convey meaning. Examples – possession, as well as the words with, have, by, for, and please, are all expressed in Mongolian by putting a suffix on the end of the word.

3. When in the countryside, you can convey a surprising amount of information just by using vocabulary for various livestock species.

Example 1 – Someone says “sheep” and points to the southeast (“hun” is how you pronounce it in Mongolian). Clearly, this is an indication that your host dad has gone off to herd the sheep. He probably took the motorcycle and will be back shortly, say maybe 15 or 20 minutes.

Example 2 – Your host dad points at you, points at the clock, and then says “horse” (pronounced “mor” in Mongolian). Obviously, it is time to leave for language class. You will be taking the horse. Don’t be late.

Let's herd some animals, ya'll.
Let’s herd some animals, ya’ll.

4. It really is worth trying to learn the language.

A couple of anecdotes:

Maybe about a month ago, a couple of my friends and I were walking near downtown UB, and we ran into an elderly couple. They were here on a mission for a couple of years, teaching English, and they didn’t speak a word of Mongolian. Towards the beginning of their trip, someone had told them that they shouldn’t try to learn Mongolian. They were there to teach English. Learning Mongolian wouldn’t be helping the students at all, in fact it might even be doing them a “disservice.” They took that person’s advice, and didn’t attempt to pick up any Mongolian, because, why bother?

Similarly, I was talking with my UB host mom recently (she’s speaks wonderful English) and she was telling me that on a recent business trip, she had been so surprised to meet an American who spoke seemingly perfect Korean. Why was she surprised, you wonder? Because, despite working with expats for several years at an NGO in Ulaanbaatar, as well as interning in New York for several months, my host mom has never met an American that speaks a second language, besides English. And you know what? She still hasn’t. Because the guy she met, the one who spoke Korean, wasn’t even American.

I’m not trying to make any sweeping generalizations here, but I think it’s safe to say that most Americans don’t prioritize learning a second language in the scope of their education.  Which is really, really unfortunate in my opinion. And also unfortunately, I am a member of that category. Sure, I’ve taken Spanish classes on and off for five years or so, but I still have little more than basic proficiency.The process of learning a second language is so rewarding – just think how many more people you can get to know and perspectives you can be privy to.

You’ve heard of a bucket list, right? Well, I’ve had “gain fluency in a second language” on mine for about as long as I’ve had a list. And it’s time to put my words into action. One thing I’m taking from this trip is inspiration to redouble my efforts to gain fluency in a second language.

Because I think the importance of it cannot be understated. And because I’m all about walking the walk, not just talking the talk!

One year from now, I’d like to be able to look back on this blog post and be proud of the progress I’ve made becoming fluent in a second language.

What are your thoughts on the importance of learning a foreign language?

P.S. Here’s a picture of a ger, because this post doesn’t have enough pictures….

DSCN1049

Also, check it out! Solar power! A lot of gers in the countryside have these little solar panels they use to power a light, the TV, etc. Pretty nifty, huh?

– Heather Cook, DUSA blogger

Midterm Madness

Published on by mirandablankLeave a comment

One thing that everyone seems to forget while abroad is the fact that classes do exist, and that tests do exist. For me midterms just passed and everyone’s hair was absolutely on fire. We spent tons of time exploring and gaining the most out of our experiences… but everyone in my program also forgot that our classes are fairly difficult, and that we hadn’t quite caught up with the material by the time that the tests rolled around. There was a last minute cramming period the week before exams that none of us really saw coming. We all realized that our tests were going to be much harder than expected, and that on top of the difficulty levels they were all in quick succession and so we had no breaks in between to get more studying done.

With quarter system we are all used to tests being pretty close to each other, but we are also used to 4 classes and our expectations are manageable in terms of what is on the syllabus and what we expect on the study guide. But here we don’t know the teachers or their style, and also most colleges abroad are on semester system, which can also be a bit of a shock. More material on each test than we are used to, is basically what that means.

Not only do you need to learn to manage the tests in terms of spacing out studying, but you also need to learn the best ways to manage your stress. I don’t know if it is karma or some kind of murphy’s law, but some of the worst things happen when people are most stressed. For instance my suitemate got bed bugs by no fault of her own only two days before finals. Not only did she have to study, but she also had to fumigate her room, wash all of her clothes, bag everything that might have bugs, and find somewhere else to sleep. She was stressed and took it out on absolutely no one, but we all felt the stress and responded to it. Her room mates got angry at her/the world, and the rest of us in the suite tried to do damage control to little avail. Midterms and Finals are stressful times and you need to find a place where you can be alone and cope with your own stress without affecting anyone else. You miss home more, you miss your family and friends more, and you miss your usual routine for responding to stress.

My suggestions are these:

  1. Keep up with your studies as much as possible. Give yourself Thursday afternoons, or the few hours between classes to lock yourself away in a coffee shop to study. If you find a different coffee shop every time it is still exploring, and it helps you keep ahead of your studying so you don’t go completely under water when tests roll around.
    This is Mozaik, one of my favorite places to study in Budapest. It is in the Jewish Quarter and has a list of teas to die for. It is also a good place to “leave your mark,” since they recommend and urge you to draw on the walls with chalk. You cant see it in this image, but it is a total hoot. Very popular among travelers and Budapestens. (And free wifi! Sign me up!!) This is part of my study routine, since I love experimenting with new teas it is a good place to consistently travel to for the purpose of getting that reading done or finishing the other homework. etc.

    Mozaik can get a bit dark sometimes-- dreary weather and "mood lighting" aren't particularly conducive to reading light. But either way I happily work away in my nook.
    Mozaik can get a bit dark sometimes– dreary weather and “mood lighting” aren’t particularly conducive to reading light. But either way I happily work away in my nook.
  2. Give yourself a routine. If yoga helps you calm down, then do yoga during study breaks. If waking around in a park helps, then do that. Skype family, skype friends, do whatever it is that will help you calm down and re-center yourself.
  3. Don’t Panic. Let it go. Studies are important and you should still do your best, but if you end up with a B in the class then it isn’t that big of a deal. Calm down- just do the best you can and then don’t worry about it. I am not saying you should fail your classes, but it seems to me that you don’t have to keep yourself to your usual standards while abroad. You are in a new country, a new place with tons of things to do. If you have trouble balancing studies and exploration then just remember this: You are gaining multiple learning experiences. Even college at home has the duality of learning about yourself versus learning about your major. Yes, it is important to study math or science or business or what have you, but you went abroad to discover more than just that. Keep that in mind if you get a bad grade on a test, and move on. Do better next time, but don’t hold on to the past because it won’t help you in the future.

-Miranda Blank, DUSA Blogger