Hi Language Buddy!

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the hiatus. As you might know, most of my posts are motivational, upbeat, and are meant to lift your spirits on your language learning journey. And as many of you know, I've been learning Russian for the past two years, and recent events in Ukraine have genuinely thrown me for a loop.

This situation has affected me profoundly, not just for the uncertainty it poses for my friends and colleagues in Ukraine, but also in how it's impacted my approach to learning Russian. My end-goal when learning a language has always been to travel to the country and immerse myself in the language at a local school. It's like my personal reward for persevering. But, given the current circumstances in Russia, that plan seems far off, at least for the foreseeable future.

I have very distinct opinions about this situation, but I'm going to steer clear of sharing them here. What I do want to focus on is the importance of language learning in times like these.

Conflicts often lead to polarization, with different factions taking sides. I have taken a side, but I won't divulge that here. The thing is, there's often a considerable disconnect between my perceived reality and the perceived reality of certain Russian speakers I've interacted with. I consider myself privileged that I can speak Russian well enough to have extended conversations with them, to discuss our views, and try to find some common ground. It's way too easy to fall into an "us versus them" mentality, and language learning can help us avoid that trap.

Speaking another person's language allows for a more productive conversation. You know, when I see world leaders speaking to each other with an earpiece for translations, I can't help but think how much more personal the connection could be if they could converse directly in the other's language.

Secondly, in these conflict times, there's often an attempt to suppress and hide the truth. In Russia, there's a saying: "The truth always comes out," and I firmly believe in this. Even if some might not subscribe to my interpretation of the truth, just like I may not subscribe to theirs, I hold that only those acting in bad faith would believe that suppressing the truth is a productive way to solve a situation.

I see language as a pathway to truth. Speaking in someone's native language gives you a better shot at sorting out paradoxes, inconsistencies, and illogical patterns of thinking. It paves the way to a common understanding, even if achieving that understanding may not always be possible.

Now, I'd like to clarify that I intend to continue sharing my older blog posts written before the war here. Although they won't reference the current political climate, they'll still be valuable for your language learning journey.

Please remember, I'm always open to interaction. If you want to talk about anything, feel free to reach out to me through any of the communication channels we have in place. I love learning from people and providing any help and guidance I can.

As I've said many times before, we rely on good souls like you to spread the word about us because we don't have the deep advertising pockets that our competitors do.