I receive countless emails as a subscriber to the Politics Department’s listserv. However, a few weeks ago I stumbled upon one a bit different — one broadcasting free Turkish lessons rather than Washington, D.C. based internships. Immediately, I reached out to some famously spontaneous friends in the hopes they’d be as excited to take advantage of the opportunity as I was. Lucky for me, they were.
The lesson was only two hours. Within that time, we had learned only simple things, surely, but plenty of them — the alphabet, common greetings, numbers and colors. Our instructor, Çem, had brought Turkish “tea and sweets,” which our small class of seven snacked on in between taking notes and practicing basic conversations.
Even on that first day, I remember being particularly taken by the cast of characters who had been just as intrigued by the concept of free foreign language classes as I had. There was a 70-something-year-old woman named Rosie, who after two classes began bringing her husband, Ross, who demonstrated a subtle but clear command of language and casually offered stories about his travels to every Turkish city mentioned. A politics major introduced herself by saying this was the fourth time around she had taken these free lessons, eagerly leapt to answer every question and — much to the chagrin of the rest of the class — ensured the instructor that he was not, in fact, moving too quickly through the material. Another undergraduate with experience in both French and Arabic was able to easily navigate beginner Turkish, which combined the two languages. A high school student might have been forced by her mother, who knew the instructor from the Medical School, to attend the classes to amp up her college résumé.
It didn’t happen immediately, but somewhere along the way, it struck me that I was actually speaking an entirely new language. That, should I so desire, I could keep along this path and actually — maybe — become quite good at it. And it had all begun with that one class. The beginning had been simple — all it required was me showing up. While the end goal was quite clearly pretty far off, it was still attainable.
If, in only two hours’ time, one can begin to tackle something as complex as a new language and actually leave having learned something substantial, what is the limit? Momentum and continued dedication, among other things, are essentials of turning those initial two hours into something more, something continued. But for how daunting the idea of learning Turkish initially appeared, the beginning steps to doing just that are remarkably simple, remarkably straightforward.
I left that first class — I leave most classes, in fact — trying to retain any snippet of the material that was thrown my way in the two hours prior. But I also think back to that earlier realization of how easy it was to start picking up Turkish, and what that ease means for the other characters in my class.
Rosie and Ross, that elderly and well-traveled couple, silently let me know that it’s never too late to learn, just by mere virtue of showing up each week. The high school student shares an inverted message, that it’s never too early — also, that maybe your parents are onto something when they push you to do something you’re not initially too keen on. The student who already speaks two languages says that there’s always more to learn, to see, to hear, to do. The repeat student says that there’s always space to learn again, room to return and still remain eager and excited.
For each of them and for me, there’s time. Time to relearn something old, and time to start learning something new. There’s time to pick up something as seemingly daunting as a whole new language. It all just comes down to showing up.
Read More
The perfect pony-themed bite for Foxfield
By Evalina Caruccio | 10 hours agoHunt Country is the perfect spot to grab some lunch for a picnic, or my personal favorite — the best way to fight Foxfield famish.
Letting go of my first year FOMO
By Mai Hukuoka | YesterdayIn an attempt to transition to University life, I found myself saying “yes” to way too many things, which left me feeling detached from my surroundings rather than at home on Grounds.
Days on the Lawn gives newly admitted Class of 2028 a taste of Grounds
By Miriella Jiffar and Mia Tan | 3 days agoThe annual spring program invites newly admitted students and their families to experience information sessions, resource fairs and tours around Grounds.
