I started language classes at FSI last week. Supposedly, these are “survival” classes, since they only meet for one hour per day. So far, we’ve predominantly learned the unusual letters of the language. Thankfully the class meets for several weeks, because, if I had to survive on what I know so far, I could thank a lot of people, and tell them I am American, but little else. This is one _complicated_ alphabet.
The FSI language courses meet in hundreds of small rooms in a giant building. As you walk in the hallway, you might hear someone shout a greeting in Portuguese while passing a trio speaking something which sounds like it is probably from central Asia, but might be an obscure dialect of anywhere. It’s a bit of a Babel.
My language lessons will increase by a factor of 5 (though I may drop the survival class) next week because I will be starting the official language class. As a spouse, I am eligible to take language classes on a space-available basis, and thankfully, someone is starting their language training as an employee, so there is room for me. Hopefully I’ll be able to say even more exciting things next week. Maybe I’ll be able to ask for the bathroom and a taxi.
Neko and Panda's 