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the-potter-analyst · 5 years

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Chapter 12 - The Mirror of Erised

One can never have enough socks!!

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text word of the day: (White) Privilege

When I learned that this was the word that the hosts would use for chapter 12, I was.... intrigued to say the least about how they would connect the concept. But once again, I was amazed on what they found! Basically the invisibility cloak was a symbol for both having privilege and not having privilege. The original word(s) of the day is “white privilege” but the idea can also work for privilege in general, which is why I have white in parentheses. Just to put it out there, I’m an asexual black woman which right off the bat puts me at a disadvantage for the top categories of privilege lol, so this topic is something very close to home and I will not sugar coat anything. istg if I get any defensive replies or asks

The invisibility cloak having a double meaning around privilege is so fascinating to me. It reveals how invisibility can be good or bad depending if a person is privileged or not. For example, if you’re white, you will largely be ignored on the things you do; you can get away with almost anything. This is the positive side of the invisibility cloak, as Harry can roam around the castle without being noticed, particularly at night, and not be caught. On the flip side, a white person will be seen as an individual, their actions defining themselves and not an entire group. Alternatively, this is the complete opposite of any minority. Any black person walking down the street will be noticed because they are black, my people literally can’t do anything without the cops being called on them. And a black person’s actions ends up being a collective definition of the entire race. Like... a white shooter will always be talked about as an individual and the event being an isolated case. If the shooter is black or Arab or whatever? The media will spin it like the entire minority is evil. But if a black person is successful, their efforts are ignored. Can you name any black inventors? Because technology wouldn’t have been the same without them, yet you never learn about them in history books.

Harry notes that the cloak doesn’t stop him from being solid, which made me think about how being invisible and ignored in a negative way doesn’t make a person any less of a human, no matter how they may be treated as such. Just food for thought I guess.

Something Sacred Text host, Vanessa, said really struck me. She talked about how she was literally side stepped by someone so they could tap her black friend on the shoulder and compliment her outfit. And Vanessa, connecting it with invisibility and visibility, commented how the person probably (unintentionally) gave the compliment because her friend looked nice, for being black. And... I’ve never thought about that stuff quite in this way. I just assumed (white) people just tried to go out of their way to be nice to a black person, but to be honest I never gave much thought about it or its meaning in the first place. I get compliments from complete strangers everywhere for articles of clothing to my hair. Like just yesterday this white man walked up to me at a restaurant to say he loved my hair, which was in an afro. I’ve always thought it was weird to compliment random strangers like that, not in the way that you’re standing in line or something and compliment a girl’s purse who’s right in front of you, but literally walking up to someone who’s just minding their own business to do it. And cause this happened after listening to the podcast, I kept thinking is he trying to be encouraging to people with natural hair? does he really think his opinion is going to boost my self esteem like that? (normally I’d just brush it off and think that person’s weird) I know that wasn’t his intentions, but this is what those actions imply when it comes from a white person who’s a stranger.

Dumbledore says something that really holds true about privilege: “Strange how nearsighted being invisible can make you.” When you have it, you aren’t always aware of what your privilege gives you or what others without it experience. Like for me, I admittedly don’t think about ADA regulations all the time because I have an abled body, so it’s not something that I personally have to worry about unless I get an injury. But someone in a wheelchair, someone with a cane, someone with an invisible disability has to think about these things, because that’s their life. They need an accessible doorway for example just to get in a building. As a female, I can’t go out alone at night or even the bathroom at a bar without worrying I might be assaulted, but this isn’t something that men have to think about. So next time you’re defensive about something that someone of a minority group says about your privilege, think about this quote. Think about how your privilege makes you nearsighted. And then fucking listen.

Another long post lol I can’t not rant about this topic The rest of the chapter will be analyzed under the cut.

I kinda wonder if Hermione wasn’t in Harry’s friend group, if he and Ron would be as motivated to find out who Nicolas Flamel was. Obviously the constant searching in the library was her idea lol, because that’s her thing. When she doesn’t know something, she consults books AKA goes to the library. Though I think because Harry knew he read the name somewhere, he would have been searching in books as his curiosity had hit an all time high, but it would’ve probably been limited to his school books. Ron probably would’ve only joined occasionally to help Harry out, or done the same and look through his own books. I find it funny that the trio only looked through books about modern or recently famous wizards, which makes sense because you don’t exactly expect someone to live over 600 years lol.

Christmas morning of Harry’s first year always gives me so much joy to read (and watch). He gets so excited that he has presents!! Even the 50 pence that the Dursley’s sent he responds with that’s friendly lmao. I will also never get over the fact that Mrs. Weasley, after learning from Ron that Harry didn’t expect to get presents, made him a goddamn sweater and some fudge 😭 I also love how the Weasleys basically adopt Harry, and it’s not just Mrs. Weasley, it’s Fred and George too. Fred pulls wizard crackers with Harry during Christmas dinner.... they played in the snow until they were cold and wet.... not to mention the twins look after him in Quidditch.

The contrast between Christmas morning and Christmas evening is so interesting to me. Harry wakes up to presents from many people, eats all he wants for dinner, spends the day having fun with the Weasleys, and then after an adventure with his invisibility cloak, finds the Mirror of Erised. And this scene is so heartbreaking. I can just feel the empty silence as Harry longingly looks at his family, I can feel his ache for the people he never got to know. The hosts brought up how white/western culture is very individualistic, but at the expense of feeling disconnect with one’s own heritage. I also want to add how the same disconnect happens with a diaspora. This topic is a little interesting when considering that there’s a widespread headcanon that Harry is half Indian or just poc, so the feeling of disconnect might be even more powerful.

For what Ron sees, I’ve said previously that Ron’s insecurity is being the odd one out in his family, the one who doesn’t have a special thing because all his older brothers have already done it. So in the Mirror, he sees himself being the best of all of them combined. And he’s alone. He wants to stand out. So far I’ve seen a lot of signs that Ron takes his family for granted, which I get since he’s 11 and one of the youngest in a large and loving family: he’s embarrassed about their class status, he pushes away his mother when she tries to clean dirt off his face, he tells Harry he can see family any old time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing since Ron’s still fairly young though (he also didn’t resist being told to wear his Weasley sweater like Percy), but again and again we’ll see moments like this where it’s apparent that Ron and Harry’s desires are the complete opposite of each other. Ron is also less obsessive than Harry, which is why I think he had a bad feeling about the mirror while Harry didn’t despite the two fighting over it while in the empty classroom. And he gets so worried about Harry! He tries to get him to eat, or play games, or even visit Hagrid, anything to get Harry out of his depressive state.

I wonder why the Mirror was moved to the empty classroom for anyone to stumble upon though. Maybe Dumbledore needed space to tamper with it? And the best time would be the holidays when most of the students were away? Why not do it in the Room of Requirement where is was probably kept before this? And was Dumbledore invisible every night while modifying the mirror? Or just to keep an eye on it? I can’t stop thinking about his comment on not needing a cloak to be invisible.

Small things

The Weasley twins bewitching snowballs to basically hit Voldemort ahaha

I will always laugh at the “Gred and Forge” joke xD

What time do they have Christmas dinner.... afterwards it says they spent a “happy afternoon” playing outside, which I don’t know if they would do at night when it’s cold and snowy lol. And being in Scotland, the sun will set pretty early. So was this actually a Christmas lunch? I’m so confused

ONE CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH SOCKS CAN I GET AN AMEN

hjsdfhsjkdf but actually, as an adult that’s all I want for Christmas (even though I have no room for them anymore haha)

Scabbers why are you sleeping on Harry’s pillow you creep

Special shout out to all the Hogwarts house elves that make Christmas magical, as well as every other day at Hogwarts :)

Previous: Chapter 11 - Quidditch

Next: Chapter 13 - Nicolas Flamel

#so much happened in this chapter omg #i wrote so much #this is too long to try to edit lmao #hp #hp analysis #hp meta #the sorcerer's stone #sorcerer's stone meta #harry potter #ron weasley #hermione granger #albus dumbledore #molly weasley #fred weasley #george weasley

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the-record-columns · 5 years

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June 19, 2019: Columns

The ‘World’s Hottest Pepper’

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

We are blessed in Wilkes to have Farmers' Markets so readily available to us.

On Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., a group of vendors gather in front of the YMCA on Hwy. 268 in Wilkesboro. Then, on Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m., and Saturday mornings 7:30 a.m. until noon, the Farmers' Market in North Wilkesboro is held at the Yadkin Valley Marketplace on the CBD Loop in Downtown North Wilkesboro. As more and more fruits and vegetables come in, each week they should just continue to get better and better as the season progresses.

Today I want to mention a couple of purchases I made on Tuesday afternoon of last week at the North Wilkesboro Market. As I perused the various tables, I stopped and bought a bag of peaches from Tom Lowe with the Brushy Mountain Orchard at the crest of Kilby Gap on Hwy 16 South. While there we also spent a few minutes remembering his wonderful parents, the late Jane and Caney Lowe.

As I moved on down the line, I stopped to speak to Earth and Creations owner Brenda Dembowski of Roaring River, who sells an assortment of goodies, all handmade with locally grown fruits and vegetables. As we talked, I noticed a few jars of chow chow, and, knowing that I had a pot of pinto beans about ready for dinner, I inquired about the chow chow. As I picked up a pint jar, Brenda smiled and asked, "Do you like your chow chow hot?'

"The hotter the better," I answered.

She went on to say that this stuff was really hot, and I went on to tell her that, in effect, I was tougher than woodpecker lips when it came to spicy foods and she assured me I had better be.

By now I had read the label and it said "Carolina Reaper," and when I inquired about that, Brenda said it was one of the hottest peppers ever.

Now, I will confess that a very limited number of folks are aware of the ONE time I ordered something so hot I could only eat half of it. I really think I was set up, and I did eat the rest of it the next day, so nothing was wasted. However, with that episode in mind, I must confess that I began my dinner that evening with a bit of apprehension that I may have again let my mouth overload by butt, as the saying goes.

Well, the Carolina Reaper Chow Chow was as advertised, hot, really hot; but good -it was the perfect thing to go with a good ole' pot pinto beans. As of this writing, I have eaten about half the jar, and can assure you I will not waste a bit of it. My curiosity got the best of me and I checked out this pepper and found that it is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's Hottest Pepper," and by a long shot, at that. Actually, the fist time I typed Carolina Reaper onto the search bar a product called Blair's Ultra Death Sauce popped up.

Turns out that the pepper was developed by a man named "Smokin'" Ed Currie who owns the PuckerButt Pepper Company (no kidding) in Fort Mill, S.C. It has often been described as the initial bite actually being sweet and then turning into molten lava. It has been used to spice up any number of dishes, giving heat without changing the flavor of the original dish.

It is really becoming downright popular, and I've got to say, that Carolina Reaper Chow Chow is some good stuff.

Netanyahu Draws Strength from the Bible

By EARL COX

Special to The Record

Few people know that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu readily admits that he draws his strength from the Bible. Some years back Netanyahu was interviewed on CNN. Here's an excerpt: “You live in the center of a hostile world. Are you ever able to relax?” To which the Prime Minister replied: “Yes, Sir, I am. Every Saturday on our Sabbath, I have a day off. So every Saturday, I take an hour and a half to read the Bible. I draw enormous strength as well as relaxation from this quiet time.”

As Christians, we are greatly encouraged by this admission. It is great to know that the Prime Minister of Israel faithfully spends time in the Bible, since we believe it is vitally important to understand Israel — past, present and future. The divine influence of the God of Israel is the key to the history of the Jewish people and their nation, Israel.

The interview started off with the question, “Why can’t you and the Palestinian Arabs get together?” The Prime Minister answered, “The basic problem is their failure to recognize our Jewish state.” He continued, “I am prepared to make peace with the Palestinians as we did with Egypt and with Jordan. I am prepared to have a demilitarized Palestinian state existing next to Israel. And I am prepared to meet with the Palestinians without any pre-conditions.”

The interviewer added, “So you do favor having a Palestinian state?” Netanyahu answered, “Yes, but not a state that will keep firing rockets and missiles into our land. It will have to be a demilitarized, peaceful state. And of course, they will have to recognize our state.”

When asked if he would sit down and negotiate with Hamas, Netanyahu replied: “I will sit down with anyone who will recognize our state. As you know, Hamas has refused to do that. They are true terrorists who even terrorize their own people in Gaza.” He added, “I want the world to look at what we have done in the past few years to help the Palestinians in the West Bank. We have helped them in so many ways economically.”

The interviewer went on to state that Israel’s image around the world is constantly under attack and that has to be troublesome to Israel. Netanyahu stressed that there is a big difference between the world’s perceptions and reality, saying, “Israel has suffered oppression ever since its independence, and we have never had one day of real peace, yet the world continues to see us as oppressors.” He then added, “But we are a people of peace. We have always wanted peace with our neighbors, and we still do. The truth is, they do not seem to want peace with us.”

Next came the question, “How much do you fear Iran’s intentions to destroy you?” The Prime Minister replied, “We have learned from history to take seriously their calls to destroy the Jewish State."

Netanyahu was then asked, “Would you attack Iran?” He replied, “We will always reserve the right to defend ourselves. We will always keep all options on the table.” He went on to say, “Iran is the greatest threat to humanity today. It is important to the whole world that we do not allow the most dangerous weapons in the world fall into the hands of, or be manufactured by, the most dangerous people in the world.... We cannot trust Iran to be peaceful.”

“In your lifetime," the interviewer asked, "do you think you will see peace in the Middle East?” The Prime Minister answered: “I will say yes, with conviction. Not in all of the Middle East, but I think we will have peace with the Palestinians.” He stressed, “It will take a lot of courage. We are ready now, and we hope that the Palestinians will soon also respond with the same courage.”

With Trump's "Deal of the Century" soon to be unveiled, the world will have a chance to see if the Palestinians are viable partners at the negotiating table or if Israel will again "go it alone" as they did back in 2005 with the Gaza Disengagement.

Up the Mountain

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

It was a perfect time to visit the mountains. It always seems to be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the foothills and even more so compared to the Sand Hills and Low Country.

Clear skies with a few clouds for a bit of contrast were above, and a winding county road was my path up the mountain to visit the quaint little town of Sparta.

When driving, I often listen to podcasts or CD’s that artists have sent or given me after or before an interview. On this day, I was enjoying the music of the group The Arcadian Wild, and as I grew closer to my destination, I noticed an increased sense of calm.

As I became mindful of this reality, the song Millstatt played with lyrics, “This must be where God comes to rest.” It was one of those moments when you feel yourself smiling, and life seems to balance out a bit.

Based on the never-ending request list, I’m not sure if God has a lot of time for much resting; however, I am confident that the rest of us are indeed most likely better off when we take time to rest, refuel and reflect. It may not be that way for everyone, but it is for me.

Soon I found myself on Main Street in Sparta. Sparta is one of those mountain towns that you are glad you found. If you like the idea of quaint streets, good people, great food options and a slower pace, then Sparta is a place for you to visit.

On this trip, I visited several of the shops in town including a charming used bookstore that always seems to have a good deal on something I can add to my Carolinas reference book. And with the Backwoods Beans Coffee Shop right down the street, it’s easy to be satisfied.

I cannot stress enough the importance of slowing down when visiting small towns in the Carolinas. When we slow down, we reap the benefits of uncovering great treasures of all sorts and delightful interactions with locals and visitors alike.

It was great visiting with Bob Bamberg, the current editor of the Alleghany News. They have been around since 1889, and they are still publishing a newspaper today. They have seen it all, or at least most of it.

A visit to the Visitors Center and Chamber of Commerce was enjoyable. I learned a lot from Executive Director Katee Hettleman, who also introduced me to “Gertie,” the artistic interactive alpaca. Sparta is known for its Fiber enthusiasts, so much so that they now host the annual Blue Ridge Fiber Fest that attracts attendees from multiple states.

There are several events throughout the year in Sparta, so if your travels bring you to this mountain town on event days, you will get a nice bonus for your travel journal.

Good news for the people of Sparta and us guests. Within a year or so, their new Street Scape program should be finished. It’s always nice to see history preserved and protected for the future.

I look forward to my next visit up the mountain, and you never know who might be taking their rest at higher elevations.

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wellesleyunderground · 7 years

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#FollowFriday: The Badass Women of Identity Politics

The Women of Identity Politics: Ikhlas Saleem ‘11 and Makkah Ali ‘10

In case you haven’t heard, Identity Politics, the brainchild of Ikhlas Saleem ‘11 and Makkah Ali '10, is a podcast on race, gender, and Muslims in America—and it’s just what the doctor ordered.

May Sifuentes ‘09, a Wellesley Underground editor, had the chance to talk to this #blackgirlmagic duo about their podcast and why you should tune in. Read their interview below, and better yet, share it with the world.

You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and online. You can also subscribe to their podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, Acast, and Stitcher. E-mail them with questions and ideas at [email protected].

May: Thank you so much for meeting with us! I was listening this morning, I’m so excited that you started this project. I want to hear more about Identity Politics—what the series is, how did you start it, why did you start it, and also, what does it mean to have a podcast that is named very similarly to, perhaps, one of the most controversial terms of the last election?

Ikhlas: Back in 2010 I started my blog Haya wa Iman, which literally translates to ‘Modesty and Faith’. I was inspired after going to a conference with Makkah called ‘Pearls of the Quran’ in DC and one of the speakers talked about the notion of modesty and faith. Typically you see Muslim women in the media and it’s always about what they are wearing, when we talk about and care about so much more than that. I wanted to spin that into a spiritual reflection of what it means to be Muslim in America today.

For a year and a half I blogged on that topic and had been talking about starting a podcast because I wanted to reach more people. I wanted to be able to share more stories and experiences from within the Muslim community. My husband put a date on the calendar for January 7, 2016 and said “this is the day you are going to release your first episode.” It actually happened on January 9, but that was the push I needed. After the first few episodes, I asked Makkah to join as a co-host and the rest was history.

Makkah: To add on to that origin story, Ikhlas went to Harvard Divinity School and got her Master’s in Theological Studies. I remember visiting her in Boston years ago and talking about how there weren’t adequate discussions happening publicly about life at the intersections of different topics. You can study and discuss classical Islamic texts or you can discuss contemporary gender studies or you can focus on critical race theory. We were frustrated that it was hard to find folks looking at these topics from multiple lenses, even though we live our lives that way. I don’t wake up one day and live just as a woman with all of my experiences happening purely from a woman’s lense, and then wake up the next day as a black person or a Muslim and experience life from those perspectives, one at a time.

Even outside of academia, we were seeing people speak about “Muslim issues” with flat portrayals of our community that didn’t reflect our rich diversity. Muslims are not a monolith. So having a Muslim expert on the news or a Muslim character on a TV show isn’t enough unless there’s an explicit recognition that the way they understand and experience their Muslimness is also influenced by their race, nationality, gender, language, and so much more. We are more complicated than any one checkbox that we are told to check. These conversations are ones we are having with our friends. It’s like a Tower Dining Hall brunch conversation, brought to your headphones. I’m super grateful that Ikhlas launched this platform and feel very fortunate to be part of it.

May: So what are those conversations that you are having with your friends, your communities, and with your families that you want to infuse all over Identity Politics as a podcast?

Makkah: For example, both of us are the daughters of converts to Islam. For Ikhlas’ first episode, she interviewed her mom; in a later episode about Muslims in love, I interviewed my parents about their love story. Ikhlas and I always talk about how when we were in our early 20s, we don’t think we would have been down for a major life change like choosing a new religion. This is also a conversation I have with my friends who are children of immigrants, whose parents moved to new countries when they were our age. We like learning about what motivated those choices and how different identities influenced the way they experienced these changes—whether it was coming from another country to America as a woman, or converting to Islam from Christianity as a Black American.

We also did an episode about race with some of our white friends. I talk to my white friends all the time about feminism, spirituality, and race. But more often than not, you just see people of color talking about race and white people listening. While it’s important to let people of color narrate their own lives, I also recognize that if we exclude white people from conversations about race, they will continue to just sit in their privilege and never have to assess their own problematic cultural baggage in the ways that POC are often called to do.

We aren’t just two black women talking about race to other black people. We talk to descendents of slaves and African immigrants and Asian Americans and Arab Americans and white Americans because we know that being Muslim is not a single race, practice, or culture. Being Muslim is a spiritual and religious identification and American Muslims are the most diverse Muslim community in the world. We talk to American Muslims of all backgrounds about real issues to give a fuller, deeper, broader picture of what it really means to be Muslim in this country.

May: I think that all of us Wellesley Women who are not white are having similar conversations. As an immigrant to this country, as a Latina, I’ve been trying to see how to get Wellesley Women who may be activists and allies and white to take action—what is the next level for folks that we went to school with and that are our friends? In the era of Trump, it is now very important for them to step it up. For you, what are some of the most interesting outcomes from the many conversations you’ve had with your friends and what do you want to happen with those allies?

Ikhlas: This is something that I thought about early on when starting the podcast. Of course I had a target audience, and we still do, where our primary audience is black Muslim women. But we also try to make the podcast accessible to any group.

One of the earliest pieces of feedback I received was from a white woman who wasn’t Muslim. She listened to the podcast and she said “I had to stop listening because I felt that this was a conversation that I shouldn’t be hearing, that I shouldn’t be a part of.” I thought that was such interesting feedback and I understood where she was coming from. We should be talking about these things within every community—how are we navigating race, how are we navigating gender, how is that influencing how we relate to each other? Even if you aren’t Muslim, you aren’t black, you aren’t South Asian, you aren’t Arab, these conversations translate into our lives in America, into our world. Where do we draw from when we are thinking about “how am I going to treat this black person walking into the store?” Where are those things coming from, and how can we work to improve that?

Our audience has widened over time. We do have a lot of Wellesley Women that are white and love our podcast and listen to every episode. It’s meaningful because they are sharing these episodes with their networks and we are just getting a greater understanding of who we are and how we relate to each other.

May: In this particular space, you are filing a void. You are sharing some stories that are not being shared. So as young women, as Americans, what does it mean to be young, black, and Muslim in the United States to you? Life pre-November is very different that it is now and what it’s going to be. You have so much to share with us.

Makkah: What does it mean to be young, black, and Muslim in America? It is to be on constant alert. I don’t have the luxury of not paying attention to what is happening around me in the world, whether it’s through conversations about race, about police brutality, about sexual assault, about student loan debt, about terrorism. I have to know a lot more about what’s happening because it’s so closely tied to who I am. It’s a burden but also a blessing because, again, this podcast is about understanding that we live our lives as full, complex beings, not just as one thing. So I feel like my experience right now is a complete manifestation of that complexity, of really understanding that the world is grappling with a lot of complicated topics right now and that each thing is not happening in a vacuum. What is happening with Islamophobia in this country is tied to what has happened with black movements in the past, it’s tied to feminism, white supremacy, immigration, it’s tied to many things that I know about from different contexts. It’s been very interesting, particularly being black and Muslim, talking to Muslims who are not black. We’ve found that many of aren’t as familiar with the history of surveillance of black communities in this country, for example. Or even the history of the surveillance of Black Muslims in this country. So the surveillance of their Muslim communities came as kind of a surprise.

I think it’s been a real privilege and blessing, in some ways, to be able to pull from different contexts and different historical backgrounds and talk to people who may be at different cultural intersections about how their understanding compares to ours. Ikhlas, does that make sense?

Ikhlas: That totally makes sense! I’m still thinking about how earlier, May you mentioned that life is very different post-November. And if you listened to our Life After the Election episode you kind of know that I’m a little pessimistic about politics, so life for me kind of still feels the same under Trump. I feel like a lot of my life—being young, black, and Muslim—you are pretty much ignored and not seen as legitimate outside of black American Muslim circles. So, just having those encounters where you constantly have to -- and I don’t do this anymore-- but where you have to prove that you belong, prove that your identity as a black person matters, and you have to constantly remind other Muslims that black lives matter and this should be a concern for the Muslim community. I think we are improving upon that as a “Muslim community,” which is exciting.

I’m excited because black people and people of color in general—I’m seeing the height of our creativity right now. Digital platforms have allowed our voices to be heard, our work to be heard. Whenever I go on Facebook and I see that a friend has this new art piece out, it’s very exciting. People of color are still living under terrible conditions, but we have this young force that is pushing back on that and forcing everyone to take steps towards improving conditions for everyone. To even have you asking us about this podcast is exciting because I really did think that only a small circle of people would be attracted to this.

May: It’s kind of incredible, isn’t it, how even just the three of us seem to be so different. We have different lived experiences. But as you are talking and as you are sharing your own experiences I am remembering feeling those feelings-- in different circumstances, of course-- but feeling them nonetheless. And it’s kind of incredible how we’ve walked different paths but at the same time we do have shared experiences, shared feelings. It’s awesome. Thank you for being here and sharing.

What’s the final pitch for those folks reading the interview—Why should people listen to Identity Politics? What should they expect in the next few months?

Ikhlas: Wow, you really come with the big questions, eh? I think a big thing about Identity Politics is just learning to value human life and, this is a big statement, how to learn to take people for who they are, you know? Recognizing and embracing all of their identities—as a Muslim person, as a black person, as a woman—and factoring in all of these things when we are learning how to be in relationships with one another. I think that’s one of the big things, when people listen to Identity Politics I would hope that they would listen and not just listen for the laughs, but that they take these learnings and implement them in their daily lives so we can be in better relationships with one another. This is my lofty goal for the podcast: that we learn to value one another and treat people with the respect and dignity that they deserve.

Makkah: You know, we got kind of lucky with the name “Identity Politics.” We decided on this name last summer and then it became a huge media catchphrase. So props to us, I guess, for having the foresight and understanding that this was going to be an important concept!

On a serious note, with the name Identity Politics, we are intentionally referencing this idea that who we are— our social groups, our racial, cultural groups— who we are can influence our politics and our decisions. And that’s a controversial concept and people are now trying to figure out whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. But we chose this name because although we know that one’s identity can influence their behavior, we also know that people have multiple identities. So the question then becomes, how are we negotiating which parts of our identities influence which decisions?

Through this podcast we just want to bring people of different backgrounds together to discuss which parts of who they are, on any given day, are impacting their perspectives on various topics and their lives as Muslims in America. There are many other awesome podcasts hosted by Muslims, but there are none dedicated to covering the intersections between Muslims and the many other communities that we are part of in this country. That’s what we’re adding to this space — we want to unpack what it actually means to be Muslim to different people in America.

Ikhlas and I want to break through this two-dimensional portrayal of Muslims as model minorities that you should respect because we’re your veterans and engineers and doctors. No! We are also your cab drivers, your security guards, we run your gas stations, we’re incarcerated, we succeed, we fail, and we do everything in between. We are human and that is why you should respect our humanity. But if people don’t know who we are and what we care about, they definitely aren’t going to know how to “stand with” us. Hopefully listeners are deepening that understanding so that we can build stronger alliances across our differences.

May: Wow, mic drop. I feel like I have so many questions. I’d love to invite you back in a few months to chat, especially about feminism, womanism, and about this constructed notion of womanhood. It would be awesome to talk to you about it.

Do you have anything final you’d like to say, any final comments before we close up the interview?

Ikhlas: We’re always open to new ideas and suggestions. We are currently in a growing phase, figuring out what the issues are, and sometimes we miss things. As intersectional as we are, there are still things we don’t know about. So we encourage you to listen to the podcast, and to e-mail us, Tweet us, Facebook us, so that we can learn from you and so we can grow.

Makkah: If you are interested in better understanding the diversity of Muslims in America, whether you are part of the Muslim community or not, then this is the podcast for you. If you are interested in smart but accessible conversations about race, about gender, about religion, and about how this very distinct marginalized community in the United States is grappling with some of those issues—that maybe your community is grappling with in a different way—then this is the podcast for you. I think, in these trying times, we really do need to build more solidarity, more empathy, and more knowledge about different communities. And there are great lessons to be learned across different groups.

So listen today! And don’t forget to review us on iTunes to make it easier for others to find us.

#Identity Politics #Ikhlas Saleem #Makkah Ali #Muslim #Young #Black #Politics #Wellesley Underground #Wellesley #Islam #Race #Gender #inclusion series

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myfluentpodcast · 4 years

Text

E75 - Ahmad's language learning methods - become fluent and sound like a native!

Ahmad is sharing his language learning story with us!

If you want to share your story, send us an E-mail to [email protected]

Podcasts mentioned in this show:

Football Daily podcast:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08qt66t

Luke's English podcast:

teacherluke.co.uk

Interview with Luke on my fluent podcast:

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/myfluentpodcast/E28_-_interview_Luke_Thompson.mp3

Tik Tok trailer to the interview on my fluent podcast:

https://www.tiktok.com/@myfluentpodcast/video/6835683333477846278?lang=en

Zdenek's English podcast

https://zdeneksenglishpodcast.podbean.com/

Transcript:

Thank you very much, mr. Daniel. My name is Ahmed Djago and I live in Senegal. Senegal is a country of a 16 million habitats in West Africa. And when it comes to learning a language, a second language or a third language, for me is, I mean, I have a very interesting story because when I tell somebody that I live in a country where the official language is not English and I've never attended an English school or an English institution and yet speak English the way I am speaking it this day it might amaze him, you know,

You have a flawless accent it seems to me,

Thank you, but thank you very much , the story is quite interesting for me because Senegal is a country where the official language is French because it has been colonized by the French. But here in Africa, when we say official language, mostly we don't mean that the official language is the language that is spoken by the vast majority or the whole population of the country. French is the official language but we have other national language, which is the language that is named Wolof. And that is actually the the most widely spoken language here, I can say something like 95% of the country's population is speak the same language but only those people who went to school for studying French, all those people who live in an area where the French speakers are to be found are actually able to speak French.

But for me, when I was about 14 years old, my father took me to Gambia. Gambia is our neighboring country. I went there merely (synonym `= only, purely, solely, simply) for learning Arabic. So I went there to learn Arabic but Gambia and Senegal are quite similar. They have lots in common. For example, our national languages are the same and I've been able to survive while there, but they have one different thing. And it is Gambia's official language is English. So, the people that go to school for learning English but their national language is still the same as our country, which is Wolof but I was surrounding (surrounded?) by some of my friends, some boys who were going to school to learn English and they were having some conversation around me in English, even though English was not the language that they were speaking in their daily lives, but I've been, I mean, I became fascinated with the way they use language sometimes around me. And I asked one boy, one of my friends there to teach me how to read English because before you can teach yourself. You have to, somebody has to guide you to do the basics. Something like being able to read the language first before you go for yourself. By the time I was learning Arabic, but this boy, this particular way helped me to teach me the English alphabet until I became able to read English myself.

And that was it. I was still speaking up some expression, some words in English, something like breakfast, brother, sister, school, things like that. Basic things.

I spent the next four years there in Gambia. Then I returned, I came back to my home country, which is Senegal to continue learning Arabic in Arabic schools in Senegal, around the year 2013. I have this desire to continue learning English because I realized that English is the most widely spoken language in the world.

It is the most popular language in the world. And just by being able to speak it, it will open, you know, lots of opportunities for you. And then by that time, I was able to use Arabic and English dictionary properly. I have been quite almost fluent in Arabic. And then I stumbled upon one day, one application in the form of, I mean, it was, I think the audio book but it was made, it was built up in a form of application.

I downloaded it from Apple store. And then I download the on English and Arabic dictionary, this particular application or the audio book, as you might call it's actually built in several sections. That was the beginner section, intermediate and advanced section, but in the form of stories, For example, they will pick up a small story something like breakfast, and a write a text, a very short text about it.

So when I downloaded this application, I thought, wait a minute. Now I can teach myself English without needing any teacher or going to school. So I found a notebook and began writing those stories in my notebook. One story a day. This is how I did it. I will pick a story.

You wrote it down the whole story you've made kind of a dictation out of it. You'd listen to it. And then you wrote it down.

I will open the application and write down the story in my notebook and then download the voice file and listened to it several times until I became convinced that I can read it myself without listening to the voice. And then I would use the dictionary, Arabic English dictionary to translate the new word for me and write down the meaning in Arabic beside the words.

And then by the time I was in Arabic school, but I have some free times during the day I I would use those free times to learn these stories. Learn. repeating them for the rest of the day until you know, this is the way I use to gain so many vocabularies for the next, let's say five years.

Okay. That means you were very focused on particular stories. It says, right? So you just stick to one story until you could learn it by heart ?

yes, the stories are not that long. You know, it is built in a way that's usually 10 to 11 lines.

see.

For example, let me give you an example, a breakfast. He will write a about breakfast about 10 lines, just 10 lines, for example. I am Ahmad. I will wake up early in the morning. I take my breakfast. My breakfast is made out of bread and things and these and these and that I will write down that story, short story and learn it by heart. And the next day I will take the next story.

Yeah, that sounds great to me.

So so this is the most effective way of gaining new vocabularies, because you will learn the vocabulary in context. There, you will have the grammatical construction, and the words are being used in sentences. And you will learn how to use them yourself. If you need them in the future.

Yeah, I think today the danger lies in being overwhelmed by the vast resources out there. So that it seems to me that we can't stick to one resource, you know, you want to consume more and more and more, and maybe that's dangerous because we can't remember things we just want to consume.

it makes it hard in a way to just stick with one book, for example, and to learn it by heart.

Yes. But the learners should be very careful about being bugged down with lots of research, lots of resources, lots of materials. When it comes to learning a language, because today the internet is making the things, you know, it is a huge field. If you are not being careful enough you might get yourself in a difficult situation.

You have to focus. You have to choose wisely. What do you believe that it's going to take you to the next level and stick to it! So, somebody might wonder how can you become able to speak the language by just writing stories and things like that because that is just input just by me, but by making just input one cannot become able to use the language by speaking or by writing, you know? By that time, my pronunciation by the way was not good at all. So, there was videos that was produced by BBC six minutes English. And I was downloading those videos which teaches the English Letters that people should learn when they want to pronounce English properly.

And I think is, is about 44 letters, isn't it?

Yeah, I think I, I know this show they also had, or have a podcast which is still going on. I think.

Yes. This is the videos that are downloaded too polish and to brush up my pronunciation pads (`?) and I was writing them down as well in a notebook, something like a "schwa" sound, things like that, by the way, I prefer British English. And that's why I focused on those videos until I became satisfied with the way I pronounced words in English.

By that time I was also listening to some podcasts as well. I discovered a guy an English teacher who lives in the UK by the name of Luke I discovered this particular podcast around the year 2014. Yes. And I was listening to it. Yeah. Like a mad person, every single time.

Yeah, he's really great luke Thompson and I have conducted an interview with him about two or three years ago. So he was also on my fluent podcast. Maybe you noticed.

Yeah, I noticed I listened to the episodes in which he featured on. I listened to, Zdenek Lukas also, who is actually another guy who's producing very, very interesting topic, by the way, I am a big fan of Zdenek. am listening to his podcasts, especially if he's livestreaming these days.

It is quite interesting. These are the guys. That I was listening dearly listening every single time. And by listening to them, I see the progress in my listening ability.

Yeah, I totally agree with you. I am also a fan of Zdenek's English podcast of course his live shows are just amazing.

Yeah, they are amazing.

And did you listen to other podcasts as well? Can you recommend other podcasts?

Yes, I am a big football fan and I listened to some football podcasts football related podcasts, like the football daily from the BBC Firefly and six Oh six also that this might be not the cup of tea of some listeners out there, because there are so many people who don't like football at all, but this is the thing that interested me and when you're listening to something that you love, you're more likely to gain, you know, to reap the rewards by the way, to gain a lot from it.

So something that is enjoyable. I'm listening to lots of podcasts. I'm listening to, some news podcasts but these two are my prime podcasts, my prime ones, Luke's English podcast. And it's Zdenek and of course your podcast, which I discovered during the lockdown.

Thank you

I love the way you pronounce words and it is quite clear and your vocab man podcast, it is actually very amazing.

Thank you very much. It's really kind of you . Have you ever considered or contemplated to make your own podcast maybe because you have a lot of knowledge you could share it to other learners as well.

Well, actually, maybe I'm not sure at the moment, because by the way, I'm a teacher right now. I teach Arabic in our government elementary schools here in Senegal. And, we only have three months a year, three months over summer occasions every single year. But the school activities are quite hectic.

That's why I'm not sure, but I, you know, you make me feel that maybe I will follow you on your footsteps one day because you know, inspire me a lot. You may you make me feel like, yeah, it is possible for me as well, because yeah absolutely inspired by you.

Maybe one day

my English.

So you were listening to a lot of podcasts and then your journey went on, I guess.

Yes, it's going on at the moment. I consider myself as a beginner and I'm talking to you now but I have a problem here. Until I listened to one episode of your podcast recently about the guy who was from Quora on who lives in India. I forgot the name of him. because until recently I.

I was this mad vocabulary hungry man. Somebody who writing down every single word vocabulary that he come across. But then I realized that I have so many passive vocabularies in my bank. As I'm talking to you there, I have some notebooks that I used to write down some vocabularies. And I barely use those vocabularies because they are so passive. You know, when I listened to that guy, he made me relaxed and sit down once again, because he was saying about when you have about 5,000 to 10,000 vocabulary in your bank, you have to focus on how to use them rather than getting related thing, some new vocabulary that you don't need it.

So a wise man, and I,

yay.

real with you because it's the same here that I used to learn a lot of as you mentioned, passive vocabulary, which I wouldn't never use . just for the pleasure of learning but. Yeah, I should also focus more on the vocabulary I want to use.

Yeah.

Yeah, this is a thing. Again, the language is actually a vast, vast thing. A very huge, gigantic thing that. There are some areas that you can master and talk about fluently, and they have some specific vocabulary that you are going to need when you want to talk about them. But there are some areas where you will have no knowledge about, for example, I cannot talk about doctors related, vocabularies, hospitals, things like that, medical English, I mean,

so, this is my opinion about learning second language or third language. First of all, you know, you have to love the language. You have to love the language that you're learning. You have to have the passion and the determination and you have to dedicate, you have to find a time to do it because without love and but the determination of learning the language, nobody can teach you. No, even if you have the most skilled teachers, they still cannot feed you, spoonfeed you the language unless you have the determination to learn it. I have this determination to learn the language to this level. That's why I am here today. There are some people around me here who have the opportunity and they've already mastered the first language that they can use to learn a second language, but maybe they don't have the determination they didn't find a way of, I mean, to do it because they don't love it.

listened to some people talking about find Enjoyable way of learning the language. I mean, let's not lull ourselves into a false sense of security. We have to realize that when you're learning a language, you have to put some extreme effort. If you want to reach your goal, you don't have to just do some little things at day unexpecting to reap the rewards.

I mean, For me, you have to put a lot of work,

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And

this is what I believe.

Yeah, and I think it is crucial to be consistent. Consistency is key. And I think even if you'll learn, let's say 20 minutes a day, if you can keep up with this for a very long period of time, then you will reach your goal. One day, well, maybe

Yes.

every three years, but you have to be determined yes.

To just go your journey and make your things.

That consistency that you said? When I, when I was learning the language throughout the last five years, some friends of mine, you know, sometimes tease me, you know, about me carrying this notebook everywhere I go and reading, they will use it. Tell me to tell me that I'm. You are a mad person. What are you doing here?

This, this is not our official language wasting your time. And they considered me as somebody who's doing absolutely nothing, but, you know, they don't see. I mean, I don't see either way is seeing things then.

Yeah, because while it's your passion, see that. And I find this is just great. you are serious about this and that's why you carry your notebook with you. And it's similar here in Switzerland because. English is not the, it's not one of the official languages here. We we have Italian, we have French, we have German and retro romantic, but English is not one of the official languages.

So, but for me, that's not important because it's just a passion of mine and I like to learn English. Yeah.

Yes. Yes. This is a case as well. So in Switzerland you have so many languages as well.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

Okay. And yeah. In Senegal we have about six Oh seven languages, but those languages are not popular the most popular one, as I told you his Walof and then a French you on there is a language that is called, Polar? French is the official language I chose the different way.

So some people, by the way, I was, I belong to so many WhatsApp groups that I join every now and then to practice my English. Some people used to ask me why, how can you speak English while living in a French speaking country?

But my use by my usual and my most frequent answer is, you know, this is my passion and I want to learn several languages. It's not just French. And Wolof by the way, I learned Arabic to the fluency level and I learned English. Maybe I'm not that good in English. I'm learning French as well. And my mother tongue language.

Uh, so these four languages are acutally the lanugages I'm working on at the moment.

So you mentioned what's up groups before, and I'm wondering, how did you find this groups and do your, recommend it as a method to improve in our target languages?

Yes, I would definitely recommend WhatsApp groups for those English learners to join and practice their languages. It is one of the things that I used to practice. Especially my speaking part around the year 2016 a friend of mine introduced me to his other friend who was administrating an English group and I think the guy lives in Afghanistan. And I joined the group and I was this very passionate learner. And I was joining every single day. And I was sending about nearly a hundred messages a day. And I will speak about nearly everything and then I became familiar with lots of English. I mean, the guys keep passing my numbers to some other groups and until I become widely known among English groups and this is very, very interesting because by joining these WhatsApp English clubs, you can practice at any time you want, because maybe I don't have appropriate time to schedule some lessons on Italki because I don't know. I can schedule a speaking session and then missed it. That's why I I'm very careful about maybe about that maybe in my summer vacations, but when I'm in the school year when I'm going to school, I only use WhatsApp, English groups to practice my English because I can use them anytime in the morning and evening and the nights.

Okay. I see. But are there people who are correcting you or is it just that you get your practice with WhatsApp or how can I imagine this? Or is it topic related or can you just talk about anything? I didn't understand it works. I mean, it's just a bunch of people who want to practice together?

Yeah. Yeah, it is how it works, sometimes there are some topic related groups. I mean, some groups that are providing topics every single day. So every member on the. Have their say about the given topic to answer the questions, but there was always some expert in English. Some people who are very good at English, some futures by the way, sometimes correct us and you know, make things up for us basically. Because when you, when you begin speaking practice, you're speaking, but you don't have the time to think because they're speaking, writing are quite different. I didn't even think correctly before you pin it down. But when you're speaking, you don't have the time to maybe think, Oh, you going to make so many mistakes.

And those people will use to correct mistakes. And sometimes we will give some grammatical topics and people would discuss it.

So, there are very skilled persons on the WhatsApp group it's like everyone is helping each other out in a way and together people can improve. It's great.

Everyone will help each other. There was always some different levels in WhatsApp, some intermediate learners, some advanced learners and the beginning learners and will help each other. For example, if I am an intermediate learner and I see some people, I listened to message of one of my friends or one of the groups member, and he made a mistake, I will send another message,

I will send the message to this particular person and correct his mistakes and telling him how to say and how to say it correctly. Things like that. This is how we used to do it though. you have to listen to your own voice message and correct yourself if it's possible.

If you cannot correct yourself, you will ask some of the admins or. Some people out there to listen to your audio and to give you some feedbacks.

Okay. I understand. Yeah. In my opinion, recording yourself and listening to it. It's really a great way to improve yourself because. If you have reached a certain level of English, you can analyze, you will be able to analyze your own speech up to a certain point, and can become even better by repeating the process, I guess.

Yes, this is the part of recording yourself. Although it is not always enjoyable to listen to your own voice. Sometimes I listen to my voice and feel unhappy about the way I speak. And yes it is. I also used to, I forget to tell you this. I used to record myself on my cell phone. I scheduled , three or four months ago.

No, six months ago that I'm going to record myself talking. In English for about 10 minutes a day and then listen to it. And I was doing it for about two months, allthough I feel guilty now because enough, but if I continue doing this particular activity I'll be, you know, it is, it is crucial. It is very, very good.

Yeah. that's why I don't like that much attending classes. let's say if you have one class or one lesson a week. That's just not enough. And on top of that, if there are, let's say 20 pupils attending and then maybe you get three minutes of speaking time of speaking practice, then that's just not enough.

and that's why I like the idea to record yourself or to attend in this WhatsApp groups. That you mentioned before. I think it's, it's crucial to maintain, make like , a ritual or yeah. To set up your daily practice.

Yes I did understand, you know, this is the problem of the traditional way of teaching the language at school, because you will attend the school for several years, without being able to construct correct sentence in the language that you're learning.

People are going to school to have. A paper. Uh, and then I achieved my bachelor degree and this and that. But when you ask them to write or to speak about the language in which they have that degree, they are going to struggle to do. For example, I can give you an example. I can give you an example here in my country.

Some students went to the university in Senegal out when they have a bachelor degree, will go to the university and some of them will go to the English department. And some people here have their master's degree in English, but when I speak to them, I mean, I feel like these people are actually beginners. They cannot speak English at all. It amazes me.

because they just know the theoretical way or the theory behind it but they didn't put it into practice I guess or

Yeah,

That is

correct. When they listen to you speaking, they can spot their mistakes and the good and the bad things about the way you speak, but when they themselves, trying to speak, they have, I mean, they will struggle to make a correct sentence. And is why I love self studying because when a particular person decide to study a language by himself or herself, It means that he had the passion, because it is your own decision.

you take your own decision to learn the language. And primarily it means that you love what you're doing. That's why you take it independently by in your own hands. So in, in that particular case, you're going, you're definitely going to see some progress.

Yeah, I agree with you and you will have the responsibility if you don't be consistent then you really need to keep moving.

That is consistently. If you, if you are determined enough, you'll go into how to be consistent in my opinion, because you will love what you're doing. And you're going to definitely unless you give up in the early stages, because at the beginning it might be very tough and you might see no progress at all in those particular common.

So many people have given up learning because, Maybe it is not pleasant. It is not enjoyable for them but sometimes I think you need to have some inspiration. Some people who inspire you to continue. That's why listening to podcasts are very, very, very good. Because in listening to podcasts you're going to find someone who inspires you.

Particularly when you are living in a country where the language that you're learning is in, I mean, it's not spoken there. You will not come and seeing people around you speaking the language. So you need to be inspired every now and then. So listening to some podcasts and linking up with people like mr. Daniel, is, is that going to, we'll be inspired and want to do more.

Yeah, absolutely. And it's kind of funny because I mean I got my inspiration by other podcasters as well. For example, maybe, you know him, Kris Broholm, who also have a podcast called actual fluency. And while he me a lot and he was a reason why I started out with my podcast.

And it goes on one inspires another person and then me, I inspire someone else and it's like a living thing it's so beautiful. I don't make any money out of this. this is my hobby. I just like it. But when I hear messages this that I inspire other people that makes it worth for me. you can't pay money to give the same fealing because I just want to help other people. it's, it's a great thing. And I absolutely recommend to everyone to start their own podcast or maybe to be creative in another way it must not be podcasting.

They may be other things that are also good and creative in a way.

Yeah, it's a, that's very kind of you I'm amazed about how far you've gone to help people, you know, giving people a helping hand always makes you feel happy. yeah. I know Chris. I listened to actual fluency by the way. I think he's a polyglot, isn't it?

Yeah.

comes

from

Denmark.

And we live in,

denmark. Yes. And Chris invites lots of polyglots and language enthusiasts and he talks about different aspects related to language learning. Yes, I do. Listen. I do listen to him every now and then. Yeah. I mean, Chris is a great man as well.

Yeah. And actually with everyone that I had an interview or a conversation, it was just so great to make this connection and in a way to learn about different people from different countries. And I think that language learning connects people in a way. And even if we don't know the person in flesh but in a way we are like connected and the it's just a great, it's so beautiful.

yeah. It is the thing. The thing that makes the world a small city, people will connecting together even though they are living in a far away places they know if they feel they live. So I know for example, I'm talking with you. I live in Senegal in a farm in West Africa, and this is the magic of language.

This is the only thing that can do it is a language that. That is the only thing that help being able to connect together and understand each other and share our knowledge and our feelings. You know, I mean, nothing is like that. Nothing is actually bigger than that for me.

So textbooks are, or take a great part in your language learning. And can you recommend specific books or would you rather say that every learner is different has to choose a different book? Or I don't know if you can share something about that.

Yeah, it's a text book is a, actually the thing that helped me to get here today but two people are different, you know, some people might be, I mean, might prefer to go another way. Some people. learn language in a different way, but for me, I can only recommend what I've gone through and what I, what I knew.

I learned it via textbooks and by the way, everybody can download this particular application. It's called English speaking and listening English and speaking and listening. And it is actually. Built in six sections, I think.

And there are some basic topics that everybody can write down and read just to make your input quite impressive.

It will help you to gain so many vocabulary words at the beginning. And then if you've already have a first language like English or another language that you can use

to translate the unknown words. I am not recommending people to just reading it once or twice and then leave it there. You'll have to put, you have to give it a time and effort.

Write them down in a notebook. Yeah. And study them, review them several times. And by doing this, you'll see a progress fast, very, very fast. So, why I prefer this textbook way of learning a language, because as I told you, at the beginning, you will gain the vocabularies. Construction of the sentences and the grammatical way of saying things and writing things. I mean, it is a complete package for me. That's why I recommend it rather than, you know, learning a language by acquiring some vocabularies, some lonely vocabularies. I mean, that is not the purpose of learning language.

If you're learning a language by just learning just one vocabulary, go on, you know, see things like that. Maybe you will struggle to use them later.

Yeah.

So I'm not recommending anybody, just one particular textbook. You can find any textbook that you can find in a topic that interests you. For example, if you're a football fan, try to find a basic textbook that speaks or talks about football. If you're a drama or musician person, find something related to that field, that particular aspect.

And Read it put some efforts on it. you will see how fast will go.

what do you think? About watching series or movies to improve in your target language.

Yeah. I believe this is also a very interesting thing. When it comes to learning language, I think it can help, but for me, it's not my cup of tea. Maybe I don't have time to do it, but I don't deny that it is very, very interesting and it can help you to improve you're listening ability but you know, for me, when it comes to listening, I prefer podcasts. Because , it is sort of all, you can do it while you can listening to podcasts while doing some other things.

Yeah.

while running , it is something very convenient when it comes to listening. By watching movies, you only have to sit down and being focused on the television or the internet, to do it.

But when you are somebody like me who moves around, you know, very often I prefer podcasts. Yeah. But if somebody actually prefer watching movies, series and documentaries for practicing the English, if that particular thing interests them, I would recommend them to do that because doing something that you love. It's crucial when it comes to learning language.

Absolutely. I agree with that a hundred percent, so, okay. I think I wanna thank you very much for your time and your story. I don't know. Maybe you have a question or something you want to add.

Okay, well I just want to thank you. You know, you are the first person who gave me this opportunity to express myself. I've never conducted a, conducted an interview before, by the way. , I, have very interesting story when it comes to learning language and I wanted to get it out of my system to help out, to help others, people like me who want to learn second language you are the person who give me the opportunity to make it happen.

And I, I thank you. I'm thinking you deeply in my heart and I wish you all the best.

And I have to thank you. Thank you very much for tuning in, on my fluent podcast and also the vocab man. And I mean, without you, it not be possible, or I would not see any reason to record these podcasts, you know, so I am really thankful for that. And for all of your knowledge, Which you shared with us, and maybe we can catch up, on another day.

Yeah, it's very kind of you. It's my pleasure. I'm very happy. And I'm looking forward to do that in the future.

Hey, thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Have a nice day.

bye.

Thank you. Bye. Okay.

Music:

Scott Holmes

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes

Senegal Flag

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?cirrusUserTesting=control&search=Senegal+flag&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns12=1&ns14=1&ns100=1&ns106=1#/media/File:Senegal_Flag.jpg

Check out this language related episode! Learn with a learner and become fluent!

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escboras · 5 years

Text

Provet är på måndag

(The test is on Monday)

Picture from https://pixabay.com/fr/intégration-imigration-concorder-1364673/ - Taken by geralt

Hej everyone, it has been a while since my last article on this blog.

In one of my previous articles, I talked about Swedish courses and I promised I would come back to that as soon as I would have more to tell about it.

This moment has finally come! I have the great pleasure to go for the SFI final test on Monday and it seems like the perfekt timing to share with you my trip in the magical country of ordföljd (words’ order) and grammatik (grammar).

Of course, this article is a reflection on my personal experience and is only relevant regarding SFI in Borås in the peculiar condition I experienced it. Nevertheless, it can still be useful for the ones who are considering coming to Sweden and attending to Svenska För Invandrare (SFI -Swedish for Immigrant)

In this article, I will start with what I liked about SFI. I will then continue with what I disliked, and finally present some tips that I find useful to learn Swedish.

Föredelar

(Advantages)

Let’s be honest. Which country gives you the opportunity to have language lessons for free, with a multiple of alternatives? (4 days a week, evening or morning, 2 times a week, Swedish for academics, etc.) Some students even get some money to cover the time they spend studying and not working. What a beautiful way to increase integration.

Because even if you are fluent in english, you need to learn Swedish if you plan is to stay in Sweden. Language is the first key for integration and good job opportunities.

On a EVS level, if like many of us in Borås, you will work with kids, being able to speak with them in Swedish will help you to fulfil your role and be way more comfortable in your job: intervene during a fight, explain rules, share in general, understand what they say between them, etc.

Furthermore, SFI gives the first language recognition you will need to go further and start Svenska som Andra Språk (SAS - Swedish as a Second Language).

So, to wrap this all up:

Good flexibility regarding the hours

Good flexibility regarding the levels (academics, beginners, intensive courses, etc).

Some people (not volunteers) get financial help to follow the courses

Key to integration

First official recognition of your language level (B2 theoretically, I think it is less then that in reality but still)

Nackdelar

(Disadvantages)

The first big drawback is that in order to study at SFI, you need a personnummer or be from the EU with a samordningsnummer. (I wrote an article about it here if you do not know what this is about). Practically, many volunteers were not able to do SFI because of that. And in a larger scale, people who do not get a personnummer, the ones that are most likely already facing integration difficulties, are de facto excluded from this system.

Furthermore, the disparities within the groups makes it too fast for the ones that have difficulties and too easy for the others. There is all sort of people going to SFI. A majority of them are coming from the Arab World and Balkans and have a very different language structure and different sounds. For some of them, SFI is the first schooling experience they have. Since a group always goes at the rhythm of its slowest elements, it can be very slow if your mother tongue is closer to Swedish and/or you have solid basics in grammar.

Added to that, the fact that I had 3 different teachers in less than 3 months. It is like going from scratch every time because naturally, the teacher needs to get to know the students, their difficulties and their rhythm. But this is more of a consequence coming from my personal experience than a systemic problem.

Finally, a personal frustration comes with the fact that I could not attend Swedish for Academics because of my working hours as a volunteer whereas I spent many hours waiting for kids coming and not being especially active. Afterwards, I feel like these hours would have been better invested in Swedish lessons. I would have gained in effectivity in my job, and increased language skills which was a win win situation for both Borås Stad and me.

To summarise:

Personnummer required if you are not EU citizen which create inequalities and put at risk the most vulnerable ones’ integration.

Slow or too fast due to a big gap between students

Important turn over regarding the teachers (personal experience)

Volunteering condition that restrained possibilities for more suitable SFI options (Personal experience)

Tips

(No need to translate. See? Swedish is easy)

SFI is a good way to have some structure, learn about grammar, but like any other language, Swedish need to be practiced. My father used to say: « In the UK, we say that to learn a language, you have to follow the 3Rs. Reading, Radio and ‘Riting. »

Yeah, British people cheated a bit with the « writing » to make it fit, but you get the idea.

I will do the talking at work, and in general, talking is the first form of communication we use, and it is consequently the most developed one.

Here are some things you can do to develop the 3Rs:

Reading:

Read children books that are familiar to you for a start. It will awake the child in you and the pictures are helping to understand the context

When it feels comfortable enough, start to read newspaper or other more advanced readings

If you get stuck with a word. Keep on reading, the sentence will give you the context and you will be able to guess the word. If not, a dictionary is your best friend.

Radio:

Listen to music in Swedish

Watch programs in Swedish with subtitles in a language you understand, and when it feels comfortable, switch in Swedish. There is a very good app you can use that offers program in easy Swedis: apple store and google play)

Listen to radio program about topics you are interested in (Podcasts are your best friends here). Here again, do not bother if you do not understand a sentence. It is more about getting familiar with the normal speaking musicality and speed.

(W)’Riting

This is more difficult. Some of you will have to force themselves to write. But there are ways to make it funnier. Write about a topic you like. I personally made subtitles from French and English to Swedish, created posters and advertisements for events and submitted them to correction. It is very important that you understand grammar, because most swedes cannot explain grammar rules. It is up to you to make the link between grammar and the mistakes you make. You can also ask explanation to your Swedish teacher and submit some extra work.

I will end this article by saying that it exists alternatives to SFI for those who do not fulfil the requirements. Komvux, Folkuniversitet are some of them. My next article should come pretty quickly, since I would like to talk about gender equality in Sweden and what a better opportunity to do so than during the 2 upcoming weeks. Tomorrow is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on the 25th of November and it opens 2 weeks that aim to raise awareness on that matter.

Next article coming soon!

Vi ses!

Alex

#alex #sfi #swedishforimigrants #svenskaforinvandrare #evs #europeanvoluntaryservice #esc #europeansolidaritycorps #evsiboras #boras #language

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