Happy New Year!
Just a short post to wish all of you a Happy New Year! One of the biggest pleasures of my day is signing onto Journaly and reading all the new posts. This is a community in which we all have one thing in common: we each have at least one target language. In other words, at some point or another, we all decided we were going to take on a foreign language, which, if you're serious, is not for the faint of heart — regardless of what language you choose. For me, one of those languages was actually a New Year's resolution.
In 2012, I decided that my resolution would be to learn a new language, but I had no idea which one. Never one to go out and cut up on New Year's Eve, I decided to let everyone else go out, and my little brother and I would order in and watch a movie. That movie was The Sum of All Fears, in which Ben Affleck plays an expert in Russian affairs in Washington D.C. As the movie progresses, he actually travels to Russia and has occasion to speak Russian. I thought it sounded so strong and exotic and I was like Aha! That's my new language! So not only is 2026 a new year for me, it's also my Russian's 14th birthday... or, should I say, our anniversary; because trust me, it's been a long, hard road, but here we are, fourteen years later, and, like in a marriage, I'm still struggling with her, feeling her out, learning her moods, picking up on her preferences, struggling through the rocky patches, admiring her beauty, laughing at her jokes, and that'll probably never change. That's what's so fascinating about language "learning" — you never actually "learn" them per se (not even your own!) — you just grow together and become more and more intimate and comfortable with each other the more time you spend together until hopefully, at some point, you start to think alike and "finish each other's sentences."
So Happy New Year to you all! Happy 14th Anniversary to my beautiful Russian bride! May God bless and keep you all, and I look forward to reading you every day and helping out when I can. And thank you, Robin, for giving us this beautiful space where we can learn from each other and grow together.
Happy New Year to you, too! And even more joy in your journey of learning languages!
Thank you so much!
Happy New Year and happy russiaversary!
Thank you, Uly! That's a great story! And thank you for all your help and inspiration in learning languages. I always think of you when I'm trying to place commas in English. 😁 Happy New Year! 🍾
Улый, не сдавайся! Я и в 16 лет писал с ошибками, и в 29 они временами проскальзывают. Желаю тебе окончательно одолеть этот Русский и Могучий язык! Если долго мучиться, что-нибудь получится :)
@Lokus I'm honored to be a mnemonic for such an important thing! All the best to you in the coming year!
@Fazerman Спасибо, братан!
@Zobayda Russiaversary! I love it! 💝
wish you have a joyful new year!
Happy New Year to you, too!
I like how you described your relationship with Russian — it's really inspiring. For me, English is like a school friend I've just reconnected with after a long time away. I'm growing closer to it slowly but consistently, and I'm really happy to be able to feel this way.
Thank you. Same to you Uly.
@Adazz @yumiyumayume Thank you! @Akiko As a native English speaker, it's easy for me to overlook the fact that most of the world meets my language early on in school and either takes to it or doesn't, or, as in your case, revisits it later in life and takes to it in earnest. That's a great analogy with the school friend.
Happy New Year, Uly! Your dedication to Journaly (and to language itself) is a force to he reckoned with!
Thank you, JG! Wishing you many blessings and health in 2026!