“Russian” to learn English
16 Apr 2007 Leave a Comment
in General
At my last job, I had a co-worker we’ll call “Natasha” (not her real name). She was blonde, petite and had a very pleasant demeanor. She and I got to know each other when we sat together at a company dinner. It turned out that she was one of those Russian brides that met her husband online. Well, she actually pointed out that she was from the Ukraine, and was very proud of being Ukrainian. When she arrived in America, she spoke English but she watched television in order to learn idioms and slang. She actually had a good command of the language because she was very diligent about learning how to successfully communicate.
The last time I saw her, she had just managed to get her parents moved from the Ukraine to Arizona. Before they arrived, they worked very hard at learning English. They understood it well enough to read and write competently, but they were being challenged by learning how to speak it correctly. I really admire people that come here from another country and try to do their best to take their place in this melting pot we call America.
