After about four months of SFI lessons, I don't think I have learnt as much as I think I could. I am working on my vocabulary but I don't think it's at a level that I am happy with. I can remember more words but I am better at reading. I really need a lot more practice at listening and speaking.
I am not learning as much as I was hoping through SFI lessons. I learn a lot of new words on some days, and on some days, I would go home not learning anything new. I find that the lessons miss their mark sometimes. I wish the teachers would help us acquire new words every day and teach us how to use the words in sentences. Also, it would really help a lot if they make us read dialogues instead of just narrative or informative texts.
Dialogues are important, I think, because it is more helpful in our daily life. That is one of the main reasons why I am having problems with speaking Swedish. I find that I do know a lot of words but I can't speak well since I still have problems stringing the words together into proper sentences. It's really bothering me that I can't express myself well in class, even though I have lots of things I want to say. I feel so frustrated. I find myself using the same words over and over again so I am not able to explain clearly.
Pete and I have been speaking more and more Swedish at home. It's not easy. I find myself speaking haltingly as I stop to remember the words. Luckily Pete is patient and let's me find the words myself. He will only help me if I really can't remember the words or if I made mistakes. Then, when he speaks to me, he has to speak slowly and most times I make him repeat as I try to translate the words in my head. Because of that, we still mostly speak English, especially when we have things to discuss, but generally, we have been speaking more Swedish.
I have also been watching more Swedish programmes lately. That is hard since they speak quite fast and sometimes they speak a different dialect from the people here. I have to depend on the subtitles and even then there are many words I still don't understand.
However, last Thursday, they started showing a programme called Swedish At All Cost (Svenska Till Varje Pris). It's a reality series about a group of eight immigrants who are learning Swedish. They come from all over the world and are of a wide age group. They have finished the basic Swedish course, Course A and B (I'm currently doing C), and their aim is to finish Course C and D by the end of eight weeks. The eight participants have to live in a castle for the whole duration and have lessons there taught by two experienced SFI teachers.
I found the programme very interesting. It is about something that I am going through now, after all, so I watch it to see how they learn and see if I can learn from them. From the first episode I have already found inspiration in an Afghan lady featured there. She and her family had a hard time in Afghanistan and then they moved to Iran where it wasn't much better for her. Finally the family sought refuge in Sweden. She was illiterate when she got here and now she is able to read and write after she finished Course A and B. Even the two teachers find her bright and think that she should be able to do well.
Watching the participants makes me think of my classmates and I. They way they talk is exactly like how we talk in class. Our Swedish is limited to the few generic words that we know and the grammar is all over the place, but I was thinking, ah finally something on tv that I could understand! Luckily there is the subtext so even though they said something in broken Swedish, the proper sentences are flashed out. It's like a Swedish lesson for me.
It will be interesting to see the participants' progress in the coming weeks. Since they live together for eight straight weeks and they get to learn Swedish practically 24-7, I am sure their learning would be accelerated. I am also interested to see how the teachers teach them. Maybe I can get some tips about how I can learn too.
Talking about accelerated learning, I think I am going to approach my teachers and tell them that I want to learn faster. I want to finish Course C and D by June, if possible. The main reason is that Pete and I want to start working as soon as possible. We are looking at locations for our catering or cafe and if we find something suitable, we would want to start immediately. And if I were to start working, I don't think I can continue my lessons.
I am thinking that maybe the teachers could give me extra work every day and perhaps even get one-to-one time in class. I am also prepared to put in more hours at home and of course, speak much more Swedish with Pete. If the teachers don't agree, I guess I'll just have to learn on my own and ask to sit for the tests earlier. Whatever it is, I guess I am reponsible for my own learning.
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