11: Figure Out What You Need to Learn

Figure Out What You Need to Learn

There is a list of potential topics for language learning at the end of this Unit. Here is what former PCVs had to say about the topics they studied when they first arrived at site:

• “In terms of lessons, much of the beginning was reading the Amharic script and then a little writing. While learning to read, you learn more vocabulary. Practicing everyday situations, especially in the context of your town’s culture, was very helpful, such as bargaining. You can ask what people say for new births, weddings, and deaths as well that people will respect you for. Phrases that people in your area say a lot are very good to learn because the community will take you more seriously, such as ‘god willing, ‘ ‘with truth,’ etc. Conjugating verbs is also a topic that I’m working on now because I want to be able to form complex and meaningful sentences on the spot while talking to someone.”
• “Waiting 3 months allowed me to pick up the basics and the ‘common’ way of saying things and provided me with plenty of questions for my new tutor. In our lessons, I basically ask my tutor any questions I have, and then we decide on a rough subject like clothing, travel, health, etc. I usually learn a verb or two in the present tense and some vocabulary. I make flashcards after the lesson, and my tutor uses these to quiz me at the beginning of the next lesson. I haven’t started learning the alphabet yet, but had I started from the beginning, it would have been helpful, although it would have made my progress much slower.”
• “For daily practice, I listen to tapes/MP3s I got off the web from www.fsi-languagecourses.com/Amharic.aspx which include textbooks. A copy of these is on the PCV computer (Center) in the volunteer resource center. I also got from the States an Amharic English dictionary and a learning Amharic book. All this took till about IST to get.”
• “The Wolf Leslau Amharic Textbook has been tremendously helpful for me. It’s dense and grammar-intensive, but really good. There are photocopies floating around Peace Corps.”