Friday, February 25, 2011

I felt like a sinking ship on the last bit of Turkish grammar I learned.

“Ex: The eraser is in the pocket of Isabel’s coat.”

Make two of the nouns possessive. Then, (generally) add a direct object ending to the last noun depending on what verb you used. And, of course, the ending you used must match up with the last vowel to create “vowel harmony.” Enough!

This past month has been one of the most challenging months for me living in Istanbul.  I’ve studied several hours a day. I’ve shed a few tears. I’ve certainly cursed a few times, and I’ve argued with my husband. I haven’t cooked all week. Thank goodness for online restaurant delivery service here!

However, today, I took my final exam in level 1 of an intensive Turkish language class at Dilmer. I passed! I’m very happy and relieved. As I write this, I am enjoying a well-deserved glass of white French Sauvignon wine.

It’s amazing how much I’ve crammed into my brain this past month. I’ve probably learned 100 Turkish verbs plus countless of nouns, adjectives and adverbs. I had an amazing teacher and I’d highly recommend the school I attended. Now, I actually want to start using all my “book knowledge” and put it to test on the streets of Istanbul.

I’ve already used bits and pieces here and there. I certainly do feel more confident than I did previously. I don’t want to just get by anymore like I have been doing for the last several months. I’m living in a foreign country and I should know the language.

Turkish has been the most complex language I’ve studied. There are exceptions to so many things. Just when you think you understand the rules, a curve ball is tossed your way. If a noun ends in p, change that letter to b. If a verb ends in f, s, t, k or several other letters then you must use the “t” ending instead of “d” for the past tense.

I studied Spanish all through high school and college. Over the years, I’ve picked up enough French culinary terms through the restaurant business. But Turkish has been difficult for me to grasp.

Tekrar, tekrar, tekrar. Şimdi çok pratik!

I’m sure I’ll still hit some speed bumps along the way, but I will keep trying.

Here's copy of my certificate just to prove I passed my Turkish exam!

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4 comments:

Becca Ramspott said...

Joy, you are brave and amazing to be on this adventure, doing what you're doing. Enjoying your blog very much. Congrats on passing your exam!

Julia said...

Congratulations Joy. Sounds FULLY deserved! :) We've never done a course - maybe we should! We're self taught from books. Putting it into practise has always been difficult in Fethiye as everyone wants to (needs to) speak English for work. Hope you can become fluent in Istanbul. :)

Joy said...

Hi Becca and Julia!

Thanks for commenting and for the congrats!

I've done some practicing with the Turkish Rosetta Stone and books, but I found I needed more discipline. It's always easier to find something else to do than practice a new language on the computer. =)

On Saturday night, I got to practice my Turkish with our cab driver when we went out for dinner. I've still got a ways to go, but at least I can communicate much better now.

Cheers!

Mike said...

Would you tell me the school? Did you attend past level one?