So, jes ja, a certain owl has become a regular presence in my life... 😅
It has been a whole month since Duolingo went from being a non-starter for me to becoming an essential tool in my mastering Esperanto. My live-streaming friend advised me to give it a go now in advance of this year's NASK (Nord-Amerika Somero Kursaro) and Landa Kongreso (the annual national gathering of American samideanoj mounted by Esperanto–USA), both of which will be held on the same week in the same place (William Peace University in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the first full week and weekend of July) — and also before Duolingo makes any announcement about (reportedly) permanently retiring the Esperanto course.
And, I have to admit, both it and Drops (which is mobile-device-only) have proven more useful than I had anticipated.
For me, Duolingo feeds on my needs for 1) repetition (to catch mistakes and eventually fix them for good), 2) expanding my internal vocabulary (vortprovizo), and 3) elevating my comprehension closer to the CEFR B2 standard. Drops adds topical vocabulary and phrases to the mix, even to the point of having COVID, LGBTQIA+ and environmental and political categories. (I still find myself referencing the Esperanto version of Wikipedia and also Komputeko now and then.)
The only hitch is trying to maintain consistent, daily use of both Duo and Drops, and so as you can imagine... 😅
That said, I also enjoy interacting with others, although for the time being all of it is happening virtually. This isn't entirely my fault, however — Long Island (New York) simply doesn't have any real sort of Esperanto community I can just visit at a physical location, much less any clubs close to my current home address. Indeed, I seem to be the lone wolf with a green star flag in my neighborhood and surrounding vicinities. So virtual gatherings aren't an option at all, but an absolute necessity.
So I want to take a moment to thank...
• my live-streaming friend, who has engaged me in private video conferencing sessions recently, as they gauge my progress and determine my weak points (and how to remedy them),
• the Bobelarto team for their monthly group readings, in which we each take turns reading sections of plays, published works, and such like in Zoom–hosted conference calls, and lastly,
• the team behind Eventa Servo, which serves as a much-needed and desired bulletin board for upcoming events (with filters that allow users to find events for their regions and / or based on their individual interests).
Anyway, if you'll excuse me, it appears I am hearing the aforementioned owl call my name...
It has been a whole month since Duolingo went from being a non-starter for me to becoming an essential tool in my mastering Esperanto. My live-streaming friend advised me to give it a go now in advance of this year's NASK (Nord-Amerika Somero Kursaro) and Landa Kongreso (the annual national gathering of American samideanoj mounted by Esperanto–USA), both of which will be held on the same week in the same place (William Peace University in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the first full week and weekend of July) — and also before Duolingo makes any announcement about (reportedly) permanently retiring the Esperanto course.
And, I have to admit, both it and Drops (which is mobile-device-only) have proven more useful than I had anticipated.
For me, Duolingo feeds on my needs for 1) repetition (to catch mistakes and eventually fix them for good), 2) expanding my internal vocabulary (vortprovizo), and 3) elevating my comprehension closer to the CEFR B2 standard. Drops adds topical vocabulary and phrases to the mix, even to the point of having COVID, LGBTQIA+ and environmental and political categories. (I still find myself referencing the Esperanto version of Wikipedia and also Komputeko now and then.)
The only hitch is trying to maintain consistent, daily use of both Duo and Drops, and so as you can imagine... 😅
That said, I also enjoy interacting with others, although for the time being all of it is happening virtually. This isn't entirely my fault, however — Long Island (New York) simply doesn't have any real sort of Esperanto community I can just visit at a physical location, much less any clubs close to my current home address. Indeed, I seem to be the lone wolf with a green star flag in my neighborhood and surrounding vicinities. So virtual gatherings aren't an option at all, but an absolute necessity.
So I want to take a moment to thank...
• my live-streaming friend, who has engaged me in private video conferencing sessions recently, as they gauge my progress and determine my weak points (and how to remedy them),
• the Bobelarto team for their monthly group readings, in which we each take turns reading sections of plays, published works, and such like in Zoom–hosted conference calls, and lastly,
• the team behind Eventa Servo, which serves as a much-needed and desired bulletin board for upcoming events (with filters that allow users to find events for their regions and / or based on their individual interests).
Anyway, if you'll excuse me, it appears I am hearing the aforementioned owl call my name...
