Inspiring Conversations. Meet the people who stayed consistent and now they enjoy the fruit of their hard work in Greek.
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I constantly think of ideas of how I can help people overcome their difficulties in learning Greek or anything else they want in their lives. I study about it, I speak with other people about it, I am very focused in learning new things and I write down the difficulties and how I overcome them myself, I do podcasts about the results.
It’s been a while that I had the idea of having short interviews of the people who actually made it and I am very happy to be able to present it to you. Because who is better to help you find solutions than those who actually made it?
In this new section of “Inspiring Converstations:Meet the People Who Mastered The Greek Language” I really wanted Gill to be the first person to share her experience with you.
For many reasons. Gill was one of my first online students. We spent our lockdowns together, I have known her for quite long time but most importantly Gill is a woman I follow as an example. She constantly shows me how it’s done.
The word “mastered” in the title is not a word I agree 100% with, because we can never say “I mastered” anything. The day we believe we mastered something is the last day we actually practice it. BUT. When we feel like we have mastered something it means we have found found the patterns to feel more comfortable and familiar with the object.
I know this is what you want to do, and Gill is the best person to tell you how to do it.
The interview will be both in English and Greek, so as to get the information but also practice your Greek in the level that you want to.
Πες μας λίγα λόγια για σένα/Tell us some things about you.
Με λένε Τζιλ
My name is Gill
Από πού είσαι; /Where are you from?
Είμαι από την Αγγλία
I am from England
Που μένεις;/Where do you live?
Μένω στο Wakefield. Στη Βόρεια Αγγλία.
I live in Wakefield. In North England.
Πόσα χρόνια μαθαίνεις ελληνικά;/How many years have you been learning Greek?
Ξεκίνησα πριν από πολλά χρόνια αλλά σταμάτησα και άρχισα να μαθαίνω ξανά πριν από τέσσερα χρόνια.
I started many years ago but I stopped and I started to learn again four years ago.
Γιατί μαθαίνεις ελληνικά;/Why have you been learning Greek?
Ήθελα να μάθω γιατί είχα μια Ελληνίδα φίλη και ο άντρας της δεν μιλούσε αγγλικά. Ήθελα να μιλάω μαζί του. Δυστυχώς ο άντρας της πέθανε πριν από μερικά χρόνια αλλά συνέχισα να μαθαίνω γιατί πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα για διακοπές κάθε χρόνο. Πάω στην Σάμο.
I wanted to learn because I had a Greek friend whose husband didn’t speak English. I wanted to speak together with him. Sadly her husband died some years ago but I continued to learn because I go to Greece on holiday every year. I go to Samos.
Ποια είναι η νούμερο ένα δυσκολία που αντιμετώπισες και αντιμετωπίζεις όλα αυτά τα χρόνια που μαθαίνεις ελληνικά;/Which is the Number 1 difficulty you have faced and you still face all these years you have been learning Greek?
Η μνήμη μου. Είναι δύσκολο για μένα να θυμάμαι τα ρήματα.
My memory. It’s difficult for me to remember the verbs.
Πώς την ξεπερνάς;/How do you overcome it?
Δεν σταματάω. Δεν σταματάω να προσπαθώ.
I don’t stop. I don’t stop trying.
Τι συμβουλή θα έδινες σε κάποιον που τώρα αρχίζει να μαθαίνει ελληνικά;/What advice would you give to someone who now wants to start learning Greek?
Θα έλεγα να έχει υπομονή και να συνεχίσει να μαθαίνει ό,τι κι αν συμβαίνει.
I would say to have patience and to continue to learn whatever happens.
Τι αισθάνεσαι ότι έχεις κερδίσει από όλη αυτή τη διαδικασία;/What do you feel that you have gained from all this process?
Όταν πηγαίνω στην Ελλάδα μπορώ να μιλήσω και να διαβάσω ελληνικά. Μπορώ να μιλήσω ελληνικά με τους Έλληνες. Επίσης το να μαθαίνεις δίνει στην αίσθηση ότι καταφέρνεις κάτι, ότι κάνεις κάτι καλό για σένα.
When I go to Greece I can speak and read Greek. I can speak Greek with Greeks. Also, that learning gives a feeling of achievement. That you can do something good for yourself.
Ευχαριστούμε πολύ Τζιλ!
Now, Gill showed us the way that she made it, but I have to tell you something. The reason you want to learn Greek and the strength to do it is something that will arise within you. If you really don’t make the time for it and you don’t give it the time to grow in you no teacher and no other person can help you “find the motivation to do it”.
No teacher. No book. No other examples of people will ever help you if you are not serious about it.
It is only 5 minutes of quality focus a day.
Gill is one of the hundrends of people I have met who wanted to learn Greek.
One day, I will print a T-shirt for myself. The T-shirt will say:
“Be like Gill”.
With Respect,
Teacher, Podcaster & CopyWriter @ MyGreekTeacher.com
If you are thinking about taking up Greek I can suggest 2 options for you:
- Have you checked the amazing memebership Demetra Lambros has created? Get all the infromation you want here
- you can have a look at adult classes and we can arrange an online coffee so as to have all the time to reply to all your questions and then you can decide if what I do is a good fit for you or not.
