Language
π§βπ« In class or outclassed?
Am I actually making any progress in learning Ukrainian? And are my listening skills finally developing?
Wanno Drijfhout
Language
π Again, opnieuw and Π·Π½ΠΎΠ²Ρ
The Summer School has a very peculiar sense of time. Students leave almost every week. New students arrive in week four. And so by week 5, week 1 already feels ancient.
Social
π€ Dates with Mikes
There's much to explore in Lviv outside the official course program. People from the language course, from this and previous years, help each other find the nicest places.
Social
πΆ What shall we drink?
I don't like drinking. I don't like singing. I don't like dancing. Somehow, I got it all in one week β and it ended up fun and memorable.
Travel
π How to buy a dragon?
I found a dragon in a museum of modern art, next to a museum of a 6000 year old civilisation, next to a golf course, next to a vineyard with a chapel β just outside Lviv.
Social
π Dropping a divide
As it turns out, liquorice ("drop") is actually not universally hated by everyone except the Dutch and Scandinavians. Rather, it is very controversial among my fellow students and teachers.
History
π―οΈ In useful memory
[Long read.] How does a country forget a famine that killed millions of its own? This year's lecture on Ukraine's history was an unexpected rollercoaster through human migration, repeated destruction, collective memory, and nation building.
Social
π» In the spirit of friendship
Learning the Ukrainian language taxes the mind AND the tongue β strained by pronouncing endless sequences of consonants. So, we loosen and lubricate them in the city center.
War
π¬οΈ A change in the air
I can sleep better this year, because there are fewer air raid alerts. And yet, the war continues and changes to become ever more violent elsewhere.
Language
𧩠Escaping class
One of the bigger problems of language learning is the eventual plateauing β you stagnate. How do you shake things up, if your mind is barely bringing together one coherent sentence?
Culture
π Presenting nations
The Netherlands and Ukraine do not share a lot of history, so I feel I have to make a good impression on behalf of the Netherlands. One way to do that is by bringing presents!
Language
π° A fresh restart
We got our introduction program on Monday, and first classes on Tuesday. Some of the class mates and staff are familiar; many are new.