Turkish?!

Along with Macedonian and Albanian languages, Kacey and I have started Turkish language lessons. The Peace Corps has funds available to pay a tutor for two hours of language class a week. Because we are in the dual language program they approved 4 hours of tutoring for us - 2 in Macedonian, and 2 in Albanian. At our recent In-Service Conference, which included three days of language training, we asked about the possibility of also learning Turkish. Some volunteers opt not to have a language tutor, resulting in extra money in the pot. Thus, we now have Turkish language lessons on top of our Macedonian and Albanian lessons.

So how are our language skills? Well, we just had to take our language tests, which are oral interviews, tape-recorded and scored against a world-wide standard rubric, and we both passed higher than was required. I passed both tests at a level expected for someone only learning one language. Kacey on the other hand blew the testers away. Having only been in country for six months, Kacey nearly scored in the "advanced," or highest range in Albanian language, a score nearly unheard of for a first exam. Many volunteers who learn only one language leave the Peace Corps never having reached the level she is at already. She also scored quite high in Macedonian.

In our daily lives we can function fully in our community and are no longer nervous to go shopping, ask about prices or directions, direct cab drivers, order at restaurants, or enter into conversations. Learning two (and now three) languages simultaneously has been easier, in many respects, than we thought it would be. Most of the time we don't get them too confused and we mix them far less frequently than we did at first. The hardest part is when we need to make sudden transitions from talking in one language and switch instantly to another. It's incredibly fun however, and it's hard to describe the respect and reaction people have when we are able to talk to them in their native language. It was definitely the best decision we've made in the Peace Corps, and the decision that has had the biggest influence on our service.