I am very familiar with language learning. This is the 4th language that I am attempting to learn in a village environment without books to assist me. I am not fluent in any of the previous 3 languages but at least reached the ability to comfortably interact in and even do some teaching in. So my present goal is to be comfortable in the language by May . It would take a miracle to reach fluency and you are all welcome to pray for this miracle to take place.
One of the challenges of learning in this context is that my language teacher is a male. This is the first time that I am learning in this way and it is only because of necessity. There are no Gumuz women who speak Amharic and so I would not have a second language to use as a medium for communication. There are many reasons that I prefer learning from a woman (building a long term relationship is one of those reasons) and so this is a temporary arrangement.
A second challenge is that my language teacher has never analyzed his own language and so cannot clearly explain his own grammar. So I am in charge of getting the language that I need. It helps that I have learned other languages. It helps that I am an ESL teacher but it is still a challenge. There are no books to learn from.
The third challenge is that I am getting older and have 5 children to care for and my mind is occupied by many other things. I find that by the end of my 2 hours with Wohiis, I am wiped. I still try and study another 2 hours during the day or evening but more often than not, my eyelids become heavy and my session ends.
Presently I have several hundred words memorized, key phrases, questions, and a dozen songs. But I am presently at the frustration stage where I can understand what someone is saying but am slow in my responses. It is like someone is holding down my tongue. Do pray that I can persevere and not be discouraged. Pray also for boldness in visiting ladies or inviting them to my home.
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