Language learning check-in #1

[smmg]

I was going to call this "Study Goals" or something similar, but that feels weird since I never think of language-learning as studying, since it's more of a hobby to me. A hobby that I happen to also be doing a degree in, I guess.

In this entry, I talked about trying to finish Basic Irish, Intermediate Welsh, and start on Intermediate Irish by the time I go back to university in September. But I'll be going back in just under a month, and I'm nowhere near completing that goal. I've been unwell for a lot of August because of my disabilities being made worse by the warmer weather. I've done unit 9/25 of Basic Irish, and 3/40 of Intermediate Welsh. I would at least like to make a bigger dent in Basic Irish before I go back, and maybe write up some more Irish and Welsh grammar notes into my revision notebook. I just find it so hard to actually learn language when I'm at home and to get things done, it's much easier in my university house.

I've started a microblog on my website to practise writing in Irish more, but I haven't really done anything for Welsh recently. I spoke it a bit with some people in July when I was practising with my orchestra, but no-one at home speaks it, and I haven't had the energy to do many grammar exercises or to really even watch much. I've spent a lot of time in bed. It's always really frustrating how my health prevents me from really doing anything, and it also acts as a barrier to me learning my heritage languages and to being more connected to my cultures. I haven't done any Cornish in ages either, which is really upsetting.

I suppose my goals before university starts back are:

• Do some more units of Basic Irish
• Write more on my Irish microblog
• Do some more units of Intermediate Welsh
• Make some journal entries in Welsh

I have to keep them vague and not set them too high, because I just know from previous experience that my health never allows me to keep to goals I've made.