Theodisce wrote:Cavesa wrote:I've been really lazy lately. A few episodes of series in Spanish and a tiny bit of German are all. But after today's results (elections), I am more and more motivated to also learn German, as the easiest option of where to go.
Nous sommes d'accord sur la politique, je pense.... While German is and will remain super useful, I was surprised to see the high minimum wages in Slovenia (https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten ... in-der-eu/) . I find that the minimum wages tell more about the overall situation in a country than average wages which tend to be inflated.
I think median is the most important number.
Minimum wages are influenced by a lot of factors, including how high the social benefits are in the country, how much do people avoid taxes by working illegally (this is not just about the amount of money to pay, it is also about the system being complicated and about the overall trust in the government to use the money well). And also by the fact what is the government of the country trying to do. Whether to get in the right direction and help the country produce mostly stuff with high added value, or to be a cheap factory for other countries getting majority of the benefits and ripping us off (it is so "funny" to hear western europeans complain about having only disadvantages from our eu membership). Unfortunately, the Czech Republic seems to be going the second path, so it is probable many young people will be leaving this sinking ship in future as the strong old generations are not likely to change . We have fallen so low during the last 100 years.
The original Czechoslovakia was one of the most developed and prosperous countries in the world. We've recently celebrated the 99th anniversary of its beginning. I've seen a few documentary bits, authentic stuff. The people were so happy and optimistic! If only they had any idea what they were getting into.
Slovenia is no surprise in my opinion, it does really well in many aspects, sometimes being the best out of the "new" EU members (really, they should stop calling us new after 13 years). I would love to visit the country one day. From the little I know about it, they are doing a lot of stuff right and the people could be a great source of inspiration. I think it is an admirable country and consider not knowing it better a huge gap in my general knowledge.
The surprising one is not Slovenia but Slovakia. It is growing much more rapidly than us, perhaps because it started poorer, and because it has been doing some good decisions despite mistakes. And their wages are growing overall, because that is their only way to keep people from moving to the Czech Republic and because even the least skilled mathematicians can finally see the wage differences between Slovakia and the rest of the eurozone. The situation there is improving beyond expectations. Even though it is quite a popular game to compare whose politicians are worse, whether the czech ones, or the slovaks. Nobody wins but it has some therapeutic effects
I think the problem is who do we compare ourselves to. Most czechs (including the official people we see on tv) have a tendency to compare the country to Slovakia (our brother, divorced partner, or best friend, depends on the point of view
), to Poland and Hungary, because it is easy to feel good about that. The more openminded to the Baltic countries. Comparing us to Germany and Austria is just depressive. We should be comparing ourselves to other small countries, or similarily rich ones. You know, like the input of +1 level or what is it called. Ones we would like to be like, instead of the ones we can consider the same or worse most of the time. Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, or Israel. But that would require people to open their minds, accept how much we suck, and start working and voting differently.
The overall bad language skills are a huge part of the problem. It is much easier to get info about slovaks, there is no language barreer. Or poles, they are our neighbours with a similar language. But too few people are learning French, Portuguese, Slovenian, Dutch and other such languages opening the doors to info about these countries that usually don't fill the international pages of our newspapers.
End of rant.
................................................
Too little activity concerning the languages. My exam is getting closer. I am scared but it makes me much less motivated. I am at the point of almost giving up, accepting my fate. Any tips on getting through this phase?
Studying in French, as the textbook is simply much clearer. But I have to get back to the horrible Czech one. A little email exchange in French.
A few episodes of Estoy vivo, which I love.
A bit of German back on Duolingo. I actually started their new Japanese course, I hate myself
I think it lacks a lot of explanations, I don't learn well just by memorisation and observation. Dissecting the basic phrases on my own is not easy. But it does have some assets, at least as a sample of learning the language.Duolingo has recently introduced achievements. Some of them are pretty funny:
I've got both.Overtime: Congrats! You completed a lesson or practice BEFORE 8AM/AFTER 10PM.
The majority of my life and studies happens after 10 am, and sometimes closer to 8am from the wrong side. I need encouragement to be alive and thinking while other people are, not the opposite!
I need more coffee.
