IronMike's 2023 log: Fewer means better, right? (EO & RUS)

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IronMike
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2554
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 6:13 am
Location: Northern Virginia
Languages: Studying: Esperanto
Maintaining: nada
Tested:
BCS, 1+L/1+R (DLPT5, 2022)
Russian, 3/3 (DLPT5, 2022) 2+ (OPI, 2022)
German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
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Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby IronMike » Fri May 05, 2017 4:12 pm

So, lesson learned this past week is to read emails completely!

The wife was a great sport and decided to go to the museum with me on Saturday. She wasn't gonna hang out with the Esperanto tour; she was gonna walk through the museum herself and meet me at the end.

Well, I didn't read the whole email. I simply clicked on the link in the email to the museum, found the "Как проехать" link to find out where the museum was, and programmed the address in my phone. The wife and I got there nice and early. Ironically, the email said to meet at the gift store which is right next to the ticket office, which is where the gift store was at this museum.

At about 3:10, I started to wonder. So far, my few experiences with this Esperanto group has led me to understand that I should not be surprised if some of them are late. But no one was there! I wore my Esperanto t-shirt and everything! I pulled up the original email, read it more closely, and sure enough, I was at the wrong place!

The actual museum was too far away to go to, and it would have been rude to show up and expect them to start over, so we just walked through the museum we were at. BORING!

All was not lost, though, as the same tour was being given on Wednesday of this week. So we went again. This time, however, the Russians were running a practice for their Victory Day parade, and the streets around the museum were closed, as were some metro stops. Thankfully, I knew this was coming, and got there early. Cops would escort us to the museum, and we ended up getting there first. The tour guide and three other Esperantists showed up, and then we started the tour.

It was great! The photographs were okay, some nice, some crap (but considered Art...definitely in the eye of the beholder), but the Esperanto was wonderful. The guide's language was awesome. It was 90 minutes of great practice. A couple other speakers showed up, and we had some great discussions about some of the 'art.' I'm so glad I went!

In other news, the study for the exam continues. I ordered some Esperanto novels from a Russian publisher, so they were cheaper than getting them from UEA or the states, and I got them in only a week. Interesting experience with Russian Post today. I ordered the books online, but didn't pay. They shipped it to my embassy, but since it was "cash on delivery (COD)" (any other old people here remember when that was an option?), I had to go pick the books up at a central post office in southern Moscow. All diplomatic missions who get mail through Russian post have to pick up their goods at this post office.

Well, it's not a quick process, what with the filling out of the forms and the showing of the passports, but I finally got my books. I bought two Strugackij brothers sci-fi, one Harry Harrison, one classic Esperanto novel (Metropoliteno), and the 2016 Esperanto book of the year, Mi Stelojn Jungis al Revado. It killed me to have to put the books in my backpack and go to work! I wanted to just sit down in a park and start reading!

The first one I'll start is La Kaptita Universo by Harrison, only because I have the audio for the book. That'll be my L-R for the next however weeks it takes to finish the book. But those other books are calling my name...
4 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.

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IronMike
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2554
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 6:13 am
Location: Northern Virginia
Languages: Studying: Esperanto
Maintaining: nada
Tested:
BCS, 1+L/1+R (DLPT5, 2022)
Russian, 3/3 (DLPT5, 2022) 2+ (OPI, 2022)
German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
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Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby IronMike » Mon May 08, 2017 4:07 pm

So, I've already switched over to one of the Strugackij brothers books, Pikniko cxe Vojrando. It's going great so far.

The most excited part (exciting as far as language nerds are concerned) is that I managed to get each of the Strugackij brothers books in Russian and English, in Kindle versions! Not sure I'm even going to make use of the Kindle versions. The Esperanto version is going well so far, only a few areas that I'm not sure of, but I'm following the story without those areas, so maybe I'll just read the entire Esperanto version, then go read the English or Russian version?

Studying-wise, I recently did a practice writing exercise for the KER exam. I had to write a letter to a friend and discuss homeless and/or beggars on the street. I think I did pretty well. My instructor had a bunch of corrections, so I've read through that and will try and learn from them. We're only allowed an Esperanto-to-Esperanto dictionary during the test, so I've been practicing with the same dictionary (PIV) that I'll be given during the test.

I asked the instructor for some work on particular parts of grammar, and she's sent me a bunch, which I need to start working on. In good news, she sent me the answers to the grammar parts of the KER sample test she sent me and I ended up getting most of them correct. In fact, I only missed 8 out of 60 questions. I still want to work on the areas of grammar that I missed, though.

The KER exam requires that I score at least 24 out of 60 in the grammar section, and I did 52. While I could just sit back and rest on those laurels, I'm not gonna do that. I need at least 48 points out of 80. Hmmm...
2 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.

User avatar
IronMike
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2554
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 6:13 am
Location: Northern Virginia
Languages: Studying: Esperanto
Maintaining: nada
Tested:
BCS, 1+L/1+R (DLPT5, 2022)
Russian, 3/3 (DLPT5, 2022) 2+ (OPI, 2022)
German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
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Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby IronMike » Fri May 26, 2017 3:47 pm

The studying continues! Today I got the email explaining what time and where to be on 10 June for my C1 exam in Esperanto. The test starts at 1100, but I have to be there at 1030 for registration. The testing location is not too far away by metro, so that's good. After the test I'll probably go to a craft beer place to unwind. Then the weeks (and weeks) of waiting begins.

Pikniko cxe Vojrando is progressing. I'm about 2/3 done and understanding about 70% of it. I got the story down just find, but certain details are sketchy. The "color" is a little weak, but I don't want to stop on every page or so just to look up one word. I stopped reading it in English; I was reading it "behind," mostly keeping myself a chapter behind. But I found I didn't need it, even for the color.

I'm also working on grammar exercises. Participles, por vs. pro, those sorts of things. I get most all of the exercises from edukado.net. I recommend that site for everyone interested in improving their Esperanto.
4 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.

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jeff_lindqvist
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Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Fri May 26, 2017 5:16 pm

IronMike wrote:The studying continues! Today I got the email explaining what time and where to be on 10 June for my C1 exam in Esperanto.


C1!? Bonege! Mi deziras vin boncxancon!
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Ar an seastán oíche: Oileán an Órchiste
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User avatar
IronMike
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2554
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 6:13 am
Location: Northern Virginia
Languages: Studying: Esperanto
Maintaining: nada
Tested:
BCS, 1+L/1+R (DLPT5, 2022)
Russian, 3/3 (DLPT5, 2022) 2+ (OPI, 2022)
German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
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Contact:

Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby IronMike » Sat Jun 10, 2017 5:41 pm

So just finished the C1 Esperanto test (KER) today. It was hard, definitely, but not impossible. I won't tell you what was on the test, of course, because they are still giving the test around the world between now and July. If you want to know how the test is structured, go here, where you can read about it.

Suffice it to say, I used all four hours that were set aside for this test. Some seriously hard sections. The two parts I was most worried about, the sinesprima sections where I had to write (longhand for God's sake...how long's it been since you're written 200+ words longhand?), turned out to not be too bad (not to jinx myself). The two sections are: commentary and letter.

For the commentary, they give you an issue or a controversy, and you write a commentary on what you think about it. You get only one choice, so hopefully you have the vocabulary for it. The section written part, the letter, you get two choices. Again, won't tell you what my choices were, but one of them I liked better than the other, so I wrote on that.

The test you need to fill out with pen, so knowing I'd make mistakes, I first wrote everything out in pencil on the scrap paper they offered. So the two written sections I wrote out twice; once in pencil on paper, the second in pen on the answer sheet. Likewise the other sections (so many...jeez, it never ended), I put my answers on the scrap paper, then when I felt sure of my answers, transferred them in pen to the answer sheet.

The organizers were so sweet. They brought all kinds of food, tea, and treats. Very Russian! The lady running the test, Svetlana, I'd "spoken" with over email several times. As soon as I walked in, I pulled my passport out (they said you had to bring it!) and introduced myself. When I tried to show her my passport, she said "Ah! I believe you are who you say you are." So very Russian.

Also Russian, the lateness. The emails were very particular about what time to show up (one said 30 minutes prior and another 15 min prior). I got there at 10:35 for an 11:00 start. Sure enough, at 10:50 we were still missing 5 people. Phone calls were placed, and at 11:00, three showed up, in the middle of Svetlana reading off the welcome letter. 10 minutes later two more showed up. Then of course we had to take the group photo...which took a while. ;) Bottom line: the 11:00 test started at 11:35!

But that makes living here so much fun. So very Russian. When I completed the test, of course we had to have pictures of me and Svetlana holding my test. Everyone had to do this, or they wouldn't be allowed to leave. Then of course came the interviews for the Moscow Esperanto Speakers Club Youtube channel. And the food. "Michael, you worked hard for 4 hours. Eat some cake." So very sweet.

All in all, very good experience. I would definitely recommend it for anyone out there. KER has three levels available: B1, B2, C1. Two parts as well: The skriba test (reading and writing) and the parola test (listening and speaking). Definitely worth your time.

(Interestingly, what I did learn is this: KER has conducted this worldwide Esperanto test 7 times, but if you count the first one that ever happened, then 8. The first one ever was held only in Moscow, with 37 people taking the test (for comparison, today 10 took the tests). And Moscow has yet to have anyone, at any level, not pass the test. Uh-oh!)
7 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.

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MamaPata
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Languages: English (N), French (C1*), Russian (B1), Spanish (B1).

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Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3004
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Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby MamaPata » Sat Jun 10, 2017 6:37 pm

IronMike wrote:
Also Russian, the lateness. The emails were very particular about what time to show up (one said 30 minutes prior and another 15 min prior). I got there at 10:35 for an 11:00 start. Sure enough, at 10:50 we were still missing 5 people. Phone calls were placed, and at 11:00, three showed up, in the middle of Svetlana reading off the welcome letter. 10 minutes later two more showed up. Then of course we had to take the group photo...which took a while. ;) Bottom line: the 11:00 test started at 11:35!

But that makes living here so much fun. So very Russian. When I completed the test, of course we had to have pictures of me and Svetlana holding my test. Everyone had to do this, or they wouldn't be allowed to leave.


That does all sound very Russian! Sounds like it was a really good experience - fingers crossed for you. I'm sure you did great.
1 x
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User avatar
IronMike
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2554
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 6:13 am
Location: Northern Virginia
Languages: Studying: Esperanto
Maintaining: nada
Tested:
BCS, 1+L/1+R (DLPT5, 2022)
Russian, 3/3 (DLPT5, 2022) 2+ (OPI, 2022)
German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
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Contact:

Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby IronMike » Wed Jun 28, 2017 6:44 pm

Long time no post!

Continuing the study. Mostly in Esperanto. Listening to BCS occasionally, but really just interested in reading and listening to Esperanto. Got the latest copy of Beletra Almanako, and the stories have been great reading. Read Wynne's translation of "Dracula's Guest" and it was great. Now I'm reading three very short stories by a Galega author, very sexy, lots of sexual vocabulary. Still listening to the Polish Esperanto radio station, which is very useful. They just had an interview with the professor running the 3-year Interlinguistics program in Poznan, POL.

Still waiting for the results from my KER exam. My goodness, the time goes so slowly! I want to know if I'm C1 or not! Come on already.
5 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.

User avatar
IronMike
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2554
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 6:13 am
Location: Northern Virginia
Languages: Studying: Esperanto
Maintaining: nada
Tested:
BCS, 1+L/1+R (DLPT5, 2022)
Russian, 3/3 (DLPT5, 2022) 2+ (OPI, 2022)
German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
Esperanto, C1 (KER skriba ekzameno, 2017)
Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=5189
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Contact:

Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby IronMike » Wed Jul 26, 2017 2:33 pm

Ending our wonderful week in NYC. Got a small apartment in the lower East side. So many languages heard while walking the streets. Wonderful!

Did not bring anything to read, language-wise. My main objective this trip was to swim around Manhattan. Almost did the whole thing. Got caught in the East river when the tide changed and ended up swimming in place for quite a while. They gave me a choice: Quit (only 8 miles into the swim) or get moved up to the Harlem river (about a mile up) and continue, but know I was disqualified. I chose to get moved. I wasn't gonna fly all the way here from Moscow to only swim for two hours! So, bottom line: I swam 27.5 of the 28.5 miles around Manhattan. Now back to training.

The Universala Kongreso de Esperanto is happening now. I've gotten hints that I did pass the C1 exam, but I'm trying to not be overconfident. I'll find out for sure when the proctors return from Seoul.

Image
9 x
You're not a C1 (or B1 or whatever) if you haven't tested.
CEFR --> ILR/DLPT equivalencies
My swimming life.
My reading life.

DaveBee
Blue Belt
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Languages: English (native). French (studying).
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=7466
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Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby DaveBee » Wed Jul 26, 2017 3:07 pm

IronMike wrote: So, bottom line: I swam 27.5 of the 28.5 miles around Manhattan.
That is every kind of awesome. Well done You. :-)
1 x

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Ani
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Re: So many languages, so little time. A(nother) language log (RU, EO, maybe some others)

Postby Ani » Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:21 pm

That photo looks photoshopped! How cool. I lived on the water there for a long time in Hoboken and Jersey City but never once thought of getting in the water for a swim. You should watch yourself carefully for signs of mutation lol. Really awesome job. That is some serious endurance.
2 x
But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


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